Secure notification messaging systems and methods using authentication indicia

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for notification or messaging systems that give confidence to the notification-receiving party that a notification concerning the travel status of a mobile thing is from a proper authorized source. One representative method, among others, comprises the following steps: monitoring travel data associated with a mobile thing; communicating a notification involving a delivery or pickup task associated with the mobile thing to a personal communications device associated with a party; and providing authentication information to the personal communications device that indicates to the party that the notification is from an authorized source. A representative system, among others, comprises a computer system that is programmed to perform each of the foregoing steps.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/706,591,filed Nov. 12, 2003, which claims priority to the following provisionalapplications: Ser. No. 60/473,738, filed May 28, 2003; Ser. No.60/473,742, filed May 28, 2003; Ser. No. 60/473,949, filed May 28, 2003;Ser. No. 60/486,768, filed Jul. 11, 2003; and Ser. No. 60/498,819, filedAug. 29, 2003. All of the foregoing applications are incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to data communications,information, and messaging systems and, more particularly, to systemsand methods that notify a party of travel status associated with one ormore mobile things (MTs).

2. Related Art

For at least the purposes of allowing better preparation and scheduling,for example, with respect to pickups or deliveries, it would bedesirable to know, with substantial accuracy, the expected arrival ordeparture time of a mobile vehicle or thing (for example but not limitedto, a bus, automobile, truck, train, ship, plane, aircraft, etc.) withrespect to a location.

For example, consider a commercial bus service. A person intending tocatch a bus or intending to pick up a friend or relative at thecommercial bus station usually calls the bus station to find out theapproximate arrival time (information which is oftentimes unavailable orunreliable) and/or arrives at the bus station prior to the scheduledarrival or departure time of the bus, hoping that the bus is notsignificantly delayed. With knowledge of accurate arrival or departureinformation, adjustments can be made to one's schedule to avoid havingto wait extended periods for a vehicle.

Another example involves school children that ride school buses. Thearrival times of school buses at scheduled stops can be significantlyaffected by many factors, such as maintenance problems, rush hourtraffic, congested urban/suburban conditions, and adverse weather. As aresult, school children typically wait at bus stops for long periods oftime, oftentimes in adverse weather conditions, on unlit street corners,or in hazardous conditions near busy or secluded streets. An advancenotification system that would inform the students of the school bus'sproximity would be desirable so that students can avoid having to waitfor the school bus at the bus stop for extended time periods.

Yet another example involves the commercial overnight package industry,wherein packages are delivered or picked up many times on a tightschedule. Customers oftentimes wait on delivery or pickup of importanttime-critical packages, not knowing precisely when the delivery orpickup will occur. A notification system that can inform a customer ofthe precise arrival or departure time of a delivery vehicle with respectto a location would be desirable in order to improve customer serviceand to allow the customer to better schedule a delivery or pickup of anitem.

Still another example involves the airline industry. It is desirable tonotify airline workers, such as those who unload baggage from airplanes,when an airplane is about to land or has landed. A notification systemcan be employed to track the airplane travel status and to sendnotifications to these workers, when appropriate.

To date, notification systems have been developed to address theforegoing needs and some are known in the art. Mr. M. Kelly Jones, aprolific inventor in this field, obtained numerous patents that describeexamples of such notification systems, some of which are as follows:U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,020; U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,444; U.S. Pat. No.5,623,260; U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,010; U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,770; U.S. Pat.No. 5,657,010; U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,543; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,020;U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,936; U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,060; U.S. Pat. No.6,363,323; U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,254; U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,891; U.S. Pat.No. 6,415,207; U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,912; U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,383; andU.S. Pat. No. 6,618,668.

A nonexhaustive list of other examples of notification systems is asfollows: U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,159 (for a public bus transit system); U.S.Pat. No. 6,374,176 (for a public bus transit system); application Ser.No. 09/163,535, filed on Sep. 30, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,739 (for apublic transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,940 (tracking system forbuses; notice of impending arrival is described); U.S. Pat. No.5,808,565 (GPS triggered automatic enunciator for public transportationvehicles that notifies of a stop based upon the location of thevehicle); U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,974 (apparatus carried by a user to notifyof arrival so user does not miss stop); U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,377(dispatch system that determines expected time of arrival and indicatesto dispatcher when a vehicle will be late); U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,810(vehicle apparatus determines when vehicle has arrived or departed froma planned or unplanned stop and communicates such information to acentral facility); U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,425 (waiting time predictionsystem for a public transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,378 (a vehiclenavigation system where a start call, such as by telephone, is made);and U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,802 (system for informing users when a nextvehicle will arrive at their boarding site).

Furthermore, a nonexhaustive list of examples of tracking systems is asfollows: U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,206; U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,185; U.S. Pat. No.5,155,689; U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,451 (transit system for dispatchingvehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,844; U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,529 (in-vehiclenavigation apparatus with map display); U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,132; U.S.Pat. No. 5,394,332 (on-board navigation system); U.S. Pat. No.5,398,190; U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,841 (system for locating andcommunicating with mobile vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,479; U.S. Pat.No. 5,483,454; U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,621; U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,715(describes a satellite based tracking system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,650(describes a tracking system with map display capabilities); U.S. Pat.No. 5,652,707; U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,243 (on board vehicle system trackslocation and expected time of arrival); U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,774 (masstransit monitoring system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,742 (integrated mobileGIS/GPS/AVL with wireless messaging); U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,365 (usessatellites, vehicle tracking units, and a central computer); U.S. Pat.No. 5,922,040 (vehicle positioning data is exchanged between vehiclesand a central processor having a map display); U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,919(dispatch system tracks vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,708 (vehiclelocation tracking without satellites); U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,148 (tracksbuses and communicates waiting times to radio receivers); and U.S. Pat.No. 6,360,101 (cellular phone that displays or sends messages upon itsarrival at a predetermined location).

Another tracking system that has been known in the art is the FlightViewairline tracking system developed by RLM Software, Inc., which monitorsthe progress of an airplane and displays its location on a map on auser's computer screen. RLM receives real-time flight data (for example,position and speed) for each flight over North America. This data comesfrom transponders located on aircraft. The FAA collects the transponderdata, adds radar and other information, and supplies it to RLM. Thisdata feed is known in the aviation industry as “ASDI,” which stands forAircraft Situation Display for Industry and has been made available bythe FAA since 1996. RLM processes this data and stores it in theFlightView database. A user can then request the status of anycommercial flight from the FlightView system (by providing the airlineand flight number), which sends to the user's computer screen a mapshowing the current position, route, and expected arrival time of theflight.

Sabre, Inc., provides similar map functionality at its Virtually Thereweb site using a system that is apparently based upon the FlightViewsystem.

As can be seen from the aforementioned prior art, the systems that givenotice concerning the status of moving things are still evolving and, insome sense, the art is still in a state of infancy. Accordingly, I writeand submit this application and invention for the public good to educateand further advance the technology associated with such systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems and methods for notification ormessaging systems that give confidence to the notification-receivingparty that a notification concerning the travel status of a mobile thingis from a proper authorized source.

One representative method, among others, comprises the following steps:monitoring travel data associated with a mobile thing; communicating anotification involving a delivery or pickup task associated with themobile thing to a personal communications device associated with aparty; and providing authentication information to the personalcommunications device that indicates to the party that the notificationis from an authorized source. A representative system, among others,comprises a computer system that is programmed to perform each of theforegoing steps.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the accompanying Drawings andfollowing Detailed Description section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scalerelative to each other, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention. Furthermore, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of anautomated notification system, which in this case, is a computer-basedsystem.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of acomputer system implementing the functionality of the mobile thingmanager of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of acomputer system implementing the functionality of the base stationmanager (BS manager) of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of atleast part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of themobile thing manager of FIG. 1 that creates the mobile thing schedule.

FIG. 4B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of atleast part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of themobile thing manager of FIG. 1 that tracks the mobile thing.

FIG. 5A is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplaryimplementation of at least part of the architecture, functionality, andoperation of the BS manager of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5B is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplaryimplementation of at least part of the architecture, functionality, andoperation of the data manager associated with the BS manager of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of atleast part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of themonitoring mechanism associated with the BS manager of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

FIG. 5D is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of atleast part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of themessage manager associated with the BS manager of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation ofthe response system of FIG. 1, which has the response system feedbackmechanism and the response system feedback analyzer.

FIG. 7A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of aresponse system feedback analyzer, which is optionally implemented as atleast part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of the BSmanager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 7B is a flow chart illustrating another exemplary implementation ofa response system feedback analyzer, which is optionally implemented asat least part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of theBS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3. A response from a notified party causes atelecommunications connection to be made between the notified party anda party associated with a tracked MT that will make a pickup or deliveryat a stop location.

FIG. 7C is a flow chart illustrating yet another exemplaryimplementation of a response system feedback analyzer, which isoptionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3. Aresponse from a notified party is used to change one or more tasksassociated with a pickup or delivery of an item or service associatedwith a stop location.

FIG. 7D is a flow chart illustrating still another exemplaryimplementation of a response system feedback analyzer, which isoptionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3. Aresponse from a notified party is used to select one of a plurality oftimes for a pickup or delivery of an item or service associated with astop location.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating another exemplary implementation ofa response system feedback analyzer of the present invention, which isoptionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 9A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of themodify step in the response system feedback analyzer of FIG. 8, which isoptionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 9B is a flow chart illustrating another exemplary implementation ofthe modify step in the response system feedback analyzer of FIG. 8,which is optionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 9C is a flow chart illustrating yet another exemplaryimplementation of the modify step in the response system feedbackanalyzer of FIG. 8, which is optionally implemented as at least part ofthe architecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager ofFIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of theresponse system feedback mechanism, which is optionally implemented asat least a part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of thepersonal communications device (PCD) of FIG. 1, and which interacts withthe response system feedback analyzer of any of FIGS. 7 through 9C.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of anadvertisement method of doing business that can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation ofanother advertisement method of doing business that can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of yetanother advertisement method of doing business that can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system.

FIG. 14A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of afirst stop location determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon feedback regarding the location of the PCD and/or user)that can be optionally implemented in connection with any notificationsystem, for example, as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 14B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of asecond stop location determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon feedback regarding the location of the PCD and/or user)that can be optionally implemented in connection with any notificationsystem, for example, as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 15A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of athird stop location determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon timing criteria) that can be optionally implemented inconnection with any notification system, for example, as at least partof the architecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager ofFIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 15B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of afourth stop location determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon timing criteria) that can be optionally implemented inconnection with any notification system, for example, as at least partof the architecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager ofFIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of asecure notification messaging system (and method) that can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system, for example, asat least part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of theBS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 16A shows a possible screen message that can be shown on a notifiedPCD during a notification communication for authentication purposes.

FIG. 17A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of afirst mobile thing determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon pickup and dropoff locations that are communicated to thenotification system) that can be optionally implemented in connectionwith any notification system, for example, as at least part of thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1and 3.

FIG. 17B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of asecond mobile thing determination system (and method system and methodare based upon pickup and dropoff locations that are communicated to thenotification system) that can be optionally implemented in connectionwith any notification system, for example, as at least part of thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1and 3.

FIG. 17C is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of athird mobile thing determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon the detected location of the PCD and/or user) that can beoptionally implemented in connection with any notification system, forexample, as at least part of the architecture, functionality, andoperation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 17D is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of afourth mobile thing determination system (and method; system and methodare based upon the detected location of the PCD and/or user) that can beoptionally implemented in connection with any notification system, forexample, as at least part of the architecture, functionality, andoperation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of acombined mobile-thing-to-location (MTTL) and device-to-location (DTL)notification system (and method) that can be optionally implemented inconnection with any notification system, for example, as at least partof the architecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager ofFIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 19A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of afirst system (and method) for making more accurate notifications byconsidering traffic flow predicament data. This system can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system, for example, asat least part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of theBS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 19B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of asecond system (and method) for making more accurate notifications byconsidering traffic flow predicament data. This system can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system, for example, asat least part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of theBS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 19C is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of athird system (and method) for making more accurate notifications byconsidering traffic flow predicament data. This system can be optionallyimplemented in connection with any notification system, for example, asat least part of the architecture, functionality, and operation of theBS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 20A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of afirst system (and method) for monitoring travel of MTs that are PCDs andcommunicating notifications and responses among the PCDs. This systemcan be optionally implemented in connection with any notificationsystem, for example, as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 20B is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of asecond system (and method) for monitoring travel of MTs that are PCDsand communicating notifications and responses among the PCDs. Thissystem can be optionally implemented in connection with any notificationsystem, for example, as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 20C is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of athird system (and method) for monitoring travel of MTs that are PCDs andcommunicating notifications and responses among the PCDs. This systemcan be optionally implemented in connection with any notificationsystem, for example, as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 21 is an illustration of an exemplary system with various PCDsbeing tracked, communicating notifications to other PCDs, and receivingresponses from the other PCDs, all by way of a base station controlunit.

FIG. 22 is an illustration of an exemplary system with a PCD in the formof a first navigation system (a) tracking its location, (b)communicating a notification to another PCD in the form of a secondnavigation system, and (c) receiving a response from the secondnavigation system, either indirectly by way of a base station controlunit or directly from navigation system to navigation system.

FIG. 23 is an illustration of a possible architecture for implementingthe direct communications configuration between a tracked PCD in theform of an in-vehicle navigation system and one or more other PCDs.

FIG. 24 is a continuation of the example in FIG. 23 and showsimplementation of response requests and failure states.

FIGS. 25A through 25D illustrate examples of possible failure states thecan be shown on the screen of the tracked PCD.

FIG. 26 is an illustration of an embodiment of a stop list generationsystem that may be used in connection with a delivery vehicle. A stoplist is compiled based upon whether or not a stop requires a responseand whether or not a response has been received from such stops thatrequire one.

FIG. 27 is an illustration of an embodiment of a stop list generationsystem that may be used in connection with a delivery vehicle. Anotified party is given a predetermined time period to respond until afailure state is reached. The existence of failure states (No Responses)and confirmations are communicated to the PCD associated with thedelivery vehicle.

FIG. 28 is an illustration of an embodiment of a stop list generationsystem that may be used in connection with a delivery vehicle. Adelivery vehicle driver can select or otherwise indicate which of theconfirmed notified parties will be visited by the delivery vehicle.

FIG. 29 is an illustration of an embodiment of a stop list generationsystem that may be used in connection with a delivery vehicle. The PCDassociated with the delivery vehicle and driver communicates with theBSCU in order to determine whether or not a response pertaining to astop has been received.

FIG. 30 is an illustration of an embodiment that can be implemented atthe BSCU or MTCU showing implementation of failure states in connectionwith responses and nonresponses to notification communications in thecontext of a delivery vehicle.

FIG. 31 is an illustration of another embodiment that can be implementedat the BSCU or MTCU showing implementation of failure states inconnection with responses and nonresponses to notificationcommunications in the context of a delivery vehicle.

FIG. 32 is an illustration of an embodiment of route data andcorresponding driver display data that can be maintained and implementedin connection with a delivery or pickup service.

FIG. 33 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 34 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 35 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 36 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 37 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 38 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 39 shows an example of a possible user interface screen that can begenerated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the responsesystems (and methods).

FIG. 40 shows an example of an email that can be generated and sent bythe BSCU 40 of FIG. 3 and used in connection with the response systems(and methods).

FIG. 41 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of acomputer-based notification failure detection system implemented inconnection with a notified PCD.

FIG. 42 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation ofnotification failure detection software of FIG. 41.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A. Notification System

The systems and methods of this patent application can be implemented inconnection with any type of notification service or system, messagingsystem, information system, data communications system, or trackingsystem, that notifies a party of travel status associated with one ormore moving things (all referred to herein as “notification system”).The notification system may or may not have a tracking subsystem thatactually directly or indirectly tracks the mobile things (MTs), but hasaccess to information or data, perhaps from a tracking system(s) or datasource, that can be used by it to monitor travel of the MTs. There are anumber of such notification, messaging, and tracking systems that areknown in the art.

As mentioned in the Background, Mr. Martin Kelly Jones has been anactive pioneering inventor in this area and has filed applications forpatent on various notification systems, a few of which, are as follows:U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,020; U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,444; U.S. Pat. No.5,623,260; U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,010; U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,770; U.S. Pat.No. 5,657,010; U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,543; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,020;U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,936; U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,060; U.S. Pat. No.6,363,323; U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,254; U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,891; U.S. Pat.No. 6,415,207; U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,912; U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,383; andU.S. Pat. No. 6,618,668. All of the foregoing patents are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety. The inventions that are claimednear the end of this document can be implemented and practiced in thesystems described in the foregoing patents, as will be clear from thediscussion that follows.

A nonexhaustive list of other examples of notification systems is asfollows: U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,159 (for a public bus transit system); U.S.Pat. No. 6,374,176 (for a public bus transit system); application Ser.No. 09/163,535, filed on Sep. 30, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,739 (for apublic transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,940 (tracking system forbuses; notice of impending arrival is described); U.S. Pat. No.5,808,565 (GPS triggered automatic enunciator for public transportationvehicles that notifies of a stop based upon the location of thevehicle); U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,974 (apparatus carried by a user to notifyof arrival so user does not miss stop); U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,377(dispatch system that determines expected time of arrival and indicatesto dispatcher when a vehicle will be late); U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,810(vehicle apparatus determines when vehicle has arrived or departed froma planned or unplanned stop and communicates such information to acentral facility); U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,425 (waiting time predictionsystem for a public transit system); U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,378 (a vehiclenavigation system where a start call, such as by telephone, is made);and U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,802 (system for informing users when a nextvehicle will arrive at their boarding site). All of the aforementionedpatents or applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety. The inventions that are claimed in this document can beimplemented and practiced in the systems described in the foregoingpatents.

Furthermore, a nonexhaustive list of examples of, what appear to betracking systems, are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,206; U.S. Pat. No.5,113,185; U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,689; U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,451 (transitsystem for dispatching vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,844; U.S. Pat. No.5,243,529 (in-vehicle navigation apparatus with map display); U.S. Pat.No. 5,299,132; U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,332 (on-board navigation system);U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,190; U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,841 (system for locatingand communicating with mobile vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,479; U.S.Pat. No. 5,483,454; U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,621; U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,715(describes a satellite based tracking system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,650(describes a tracking system with map display capabilities); U.S. Pat.No. 5,652,707; U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,243 (on board vehicle system trackslocation and expected time of arrival); U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,774 (masstransit monitoring system); U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,742 (integrated mobileGIS/GPS/AVL with wireless messaging); U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,365 (usessatellites, vehicle tracking units, and a central computer); U.S. Pat.No. 5,922,040 (vehicle positioning data is exchanged between vehiclesand a central processor having a map display); U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,919(dispatch system tracks vehicles); U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,708 (vehiclelocation tracking without satellites); U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,148 (tracksbuses and communicates waiting times to radio receivers); and U.S. Pat.No. 6,360,101 (cellular phone that displays or sends messages upon itsarrival at a predetermined location). All of these mentioned patents orapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Theinventions that are claimed in this document can be implemented andpracticed in the systems described in these mentioned patents.

The claimed systems (and methods) of the invention can be implemented inmany other known notification systems, messaging systems, or trackingsystems, that notify a party of travel status associated with one ormore moving things and that are not specifically referenced, shown, ordescribed in this document for reasons of simplicity.

As a nonlimiting example, FIG. 1 depicts a notification system 10illustrating a possible context, among others, in which the inventionmay be implemented. As shown by FIG. 1, the notification system 10 has atracking aspect and a notification aspect.

As depicted in FIG. 1, an MT control unit (MTCU) 15 is disposed on an MT17, which is capable of transporting the MTCU 15 over various distances.For example, MT 17 can be any movable object or thing, including but notlimited to, a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, motorcycle, truck,bus, limousine, or taxicab, a bicycle, an aircraft such as an airplane,helicopter, balloon, or rocket, a train, a water vehicle such as acruise ship, cargo ship, or other boat/ship, a package, a human being,an animal, an electronic email or transmission, an amusement parkvehicle, or any other thing capable of being moved across or through theEarth's surface and/or atmosphere.

The notification service can be implemented in connection with anyvehicle 17 for delivering items to a destination or for picking up itemsat a destination. Items can include any of many various types ofpackages or goods to be delivered or picked up, for example but notlimited to, mail, pizza, beverages, shipping vessels, containers,produce, etc. Furthermore, items can also include persons to be pickedup or delivered, such as when a bus picks up and/or delivers passengersat different bus stops or such as when an airplane picks up and/ordelivers passengers at airports. Although not necessary forimplementation, the MT 17 can travel along a predetermined route ormodifiable route in making its deliveries, and the MT 17 may make one ormore stops along its route in order to deliver or pick up differentitems at different locations.

The notification service can also be implemented in connection with anyservices to be delivered, or performed at or near, a destination. Thenotification service can be implemented in connection with the followingnonlimiting list of examples: maid service, pest control, telephonerepair or installation, television repair, cable repair or installation,garbage pickup, yard maintenance, pool maintenance, power metermaintenance/reading, etc.

B. Mobile Thing Control Unit (MTCU)

In the preferred embodiment, a sensor 18 within MTCU 15 is configured tosense signals to help determine and/or determine the location of thesensor 18 relative to a predetermined reference point. In the preferredembodiment, sensor 18 is a global positioning system (GPS) sensor(s),although other types of positioning systems (having components that arelocal to and/or remote from the MTCU 15) and/or sensors are alsopossible. For example, other types of positioning systems that may beused include, but are not limited to, GLONASS, LORAN, Shoran, Decca,TACAN, radar, traffic system monitoring, a system for monitoring vehiclestops along a route, or any other of numerous possible tracking systemsor combinations thereof. It is also possible to indirectly monitor thelocation of the MT 17 by monitoring or tracking pickup or delivery ofpeople, products, packages, or things that are transported by the MT 17.The GPS sensor 18 of the preferred embodiment is configured to receivesignals 21 from a plurality of GPS satellites 23, and as known in theart, sensor 18 is designed to analyze signals 21 in order to determinethe sensor's location or coordinate values relative to a predeterminedreference point. For example, in the preferred embodiment where sensor18 is a GPS sensor, the sensor 18 determines the sensor's locationvalues relative to the Earth's zero degree latitude and zero degreelongitude reference point, which is located at the intersection of theEquator and the Prime Meridian. U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,156 entitled, “GPSReceiver and Method for Processing GPS Signals” and filed on Apr. 23,1997 by Krasner, which is incorporated herein by reference, discusses asensor for the processing of GPS signals 21 received from GPS satellites23 in order to determine the sensor's location values. Since the sensor18 is located within MTCU 15, the location values determined by thesensor 18 are assumed to match the location values of the MT 17 and theMTCU 15.

A location value can be any value or set of values that may be used todetermine a location of a point on the Earth or within the Earth'satmosphere. This value may be a coordinate value (i.e., grid value),polar value, vector value, time-distance value, or any other type ofvalue or values known in the art for indicating locations of points.

In alternative embodiments, the positioning system 23 may determine MTlocation information and merely transmit the position information to theMT 17. For example, radar could be used to remotely track the MT 17 andthen the radar system could be designed to convey MT positioninformation to the MT 17 (and/or the base station control unit (BSCU)40, which will be described in detail hereinafter).

In alternative embodiments, the positioning system 23 may be the FederalAviation Administration (FAA), which collects transponder data fromairplanes, adds radar and other information, and makes the resultantdata available for tracking purposes. This data feed is known in theaviation industry as “ASDI,” which stands for Aircraft Situation Displayfor Industry. This data feed can be accessed by the BSCU 40 (and/or theMTCU 15).

In alternative embodiments, the positioning system 23 may be associatedwith a computer system server communicatively coupled to the Internetthat makes location information pertaining to the MT 17 available to theBSCU 40 and/or to the MTCU 15 over the Internet. In such embodiments, itis also possible for the BSCU 40 to communicate the server's uniformresource locator (URL) to the notified PCD 75, which can be equippedwith a web browser, so that location information pertaining to thetracked MT 17 (as well as the PCD 75) can be accessed by the notifiedPCD 75 from the server.

In alternative embodiments, the positioning system 23 may be a trackingsystem that tracks a vehicle's progress along a predetermined routebased upon its arrival at and/or departure from stops along the route.

Referring back to FIG. 1, sensor 18 is designed to transmit a signal 27to MT manager 29 indicating the MT's current location values. MT manager29 is configured to receive signal 27 and to monitor the location of theMT 17 over time by processing multiple signals 27. The MT manager 29 canbe implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In thepreferred embodiment, as illustrated by way of example in FIG. 2, the MTmanager 29 along with its associated methodology is implemented insoftware and stored in computer memory 30 a of a computer system 31 a.

Note that the MT manager 29 can be stored and transported on anycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or deviceand execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a“computer-readable medium” can be any means that can contain, store,communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.The computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. Morespecific examples (a nonexhaustive list) of the computer-readable mediumwould include the following: an electrical connection (electronic)having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), arandom access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM)(magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory) (magnetic), an optical fiber (optical), and a portable compactdisc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that the computer-readablemedium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which theprogram is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, viafor instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, thencompiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner ifnecessary, and then stored in a computer memory. As an example, the MTmanager 29 may be magnetically stored and transported on a conventionalportable computer diskette.

An exemplary embodiment of the computer system 31 a of FIG. 2 comprisesone or more conventional processing elements 32 a, such asmicroprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), or other suitableprocessing means, that communicate to and drive the other elementswithin the system 31 a via a local interface 33 a, which can include oneor more buses. Furthermore, an input device(s) 34 a, for example, akeyboard, mouse, or trackball, can be used to input data from a user ofthe system 31 a, and screen display(s) 35 a or a printer(s) 36 a can beused to output data to the user. A nonvolatile disk storage mechanism 37a can be connected to the local interface 33 a to transfer data to andfrom a nonvolatile disk (e.g., magnetic, optical, etc.). It should benoted that input device 34 a, display 35 a, printer 36 a, and diskstorage mechanism 37 a are optional and are not a part of the preferredembodiment, although other embodiments may include these features.

The MT manager 29 is preferably configured to maintain a predefined MTschedule 39 a within memory 30 a. The predefined MT schedule 39 acorresponds with a route of travel for the MT 17. In this regard, thepredefined MT schedule 39 a stored in memory 30 a includes data defininglocations along the MT's intended route of travel. Furthermore, eachlocation is associated with a particular time value indicating when theMT 17 is expected to reach the associated location. Each time valuealong with its associated location defines an entry in the MT schedule39 a.

In the preferred embodiment, the time value corresponds to the estimatedamount of time that should lapse between the time that the MT 17 startsits intended route and the time that the MT 17 reaches the associatedlocation along the route. However, other time values may be used. Forexample, the time of day that the MT 17 is expected to reach theassociated location may be used. Any time value that indicates when theMT 17 is expected to reach the associated location is sufficient.However, for illustrative purposes, the system will be discussedhereinafter assuming that the time values in the entries of the MTschedule 39 a conform to the preferred embodiment (i.e., that the timevalues represent the amount of time that should lapse between the timethat the MT 17 starts its intended route and the time that the MT 17reaches the associated location along the route).

The MT manager 29 is configured to monitor the amount of time thatlapses as the MT 17 travels along the MT's route. For example, thecomputer system 31 a can include a clock 38 a that indicates the time ofday. In this situation, the MT manager 29 is configured to store thetime value of the clock 38 a when the MT 17 begins the route. Therefore,the MT manager 29 can determine the amount of time that has lapsed sincethe start of the route by comparing the current time value of the clock38 a versus the stored time value for the start of the route.Alternatively, the clock 38 a can be designed as a counter that beginstiming or counting in response to a start signal transmitted by the MTmanager 29. Therefore, the MT manager 29 transmits the start signal whenthe MT 17 starts the route, and thereafter, the MT manager 29 candetermine the amount of time that has lapsed since the start of theroute by analyzing the value of the clock 38 a. Other devices and/ormethodologies may be employed to determine the amount of time that haslapsed since the start of the route.

As the MT 17 travels along the predetermined route of travel, the MTmanager 29 is configured to determine the MT's current position byanalyzing the location values from the sensor 18. Furthermore, as the MT17 travels, the MT 17 passes the points or locations along the routethat are defined in the MT schedule 39 a. The MT manager 29 is designedto compare the current location values of the MT 17 (i.e., of the sensor18) with the location values defined by the MT schedule 39 a in order todetermine which entry in the MT schedule 39 a corresponds with thecurrent location of the MT 17. In the preferred embodiment, the entrythat corresponds with the current location of the MT 17 is the entryhaving location values most closely matching the location valuescurrently supplied by the sensor 18. In other words, the correspondingentry includes location values representing the location that is closestto the location of the MT 17. This entry will be referred to hereinafteras the “corresponding entry.”

After determining which entry corresponds with the current location ofthe MT 17, the MT manager 29 is designed to determine whether the MT 17is off schedule or on schedule. The MT 17 is off schedule if the amountof time that has lapsed since the start of the route differs from anestimated lapsed time by a predetermined amount of time. In thepreferred embodiment, the estimated lapsed time is represented by thetime value in the corresponding entry of the MT schedule 39 a. As anexample, assume for illustrative purposes only that the predeterminedamount of time is five minutes. If the MT manager 29 determines that thedifference between the actual lapsed time since the start of the tripand the estimated lapsed time (i.e., the time value in the correspondingentry) is greater than five minutes, then the MT 17 is off schedule.Otherwise the MT 17 is on schedule.

Furthermore, if the MT 17 is off schedule, then the MT manager 29 isalso designed to determine whether the MT 17 is early or late. If theactual time lapsed since the start of the trip is greater than theestimated lapsed time, then the MT 17 is late. If the actual time lapsedsince the start of the trip is less than the estimated lapsed time, thenthe MT 17 is early.

Alternatively, the MT manager 29 can be configured to select thecorresponding entry in the predefined schedule 39 a via comparison oftime values instead of location values. In this regard, the MT manager29 can be configured to compare the current time value indicated by theclock 38 a (e.g., the lapsed time since the start of the route) with thetime values in the entries of the MT schedule 39 a. The correspondingentry is then the entry in MT schedule 39 a having the estimated timevalue that differs the least with the actual time value indicated byclock 38 a.

In this situation, the MT manager 29 compares the current locationvalues from sensor 18 with the location values associated with thecorresponding entry of the MT schedule 39 a in order to determinewhether or not the MT 17 is on schedule. If the location values differby more than a predefined threshold value, then the MT 17 is offschedule. Otherwise, the MT 17 is on schedule. Furthermore, if theactual location of the MT 17 (as defined by the current location valuesfrom sensor 18) is further along the route of travel than the locationassociated with the corresponding entry (as defined by the locationvalues in the corresponding entry), then the MT 17 is early. If thelocation associated with the corresponding entry (as defined by thelocation values in the corresponding entry) is further along the routeof travel than the actual location of the MT 17 (as defined by thecurrent location values from sensor 18), then the MT 17 is late.

In response to a determination by the MT manager 29 that the MT 17 isoff schedule, the MT manager 29 is designed to transmit a status messageto base station control unit 40 (BSCU; FIG. 1; essentially, the hostcomputer), which is remotely located from the MT 17. The status messagepreferably indicates that MT 17 is off schedule and indicates the amountthat MT 17 is off schedule. U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,254 entitled, “Systemand Method for Enciphering and Communicating Vehicle TrackingInformation,” describes a system and method for transmitting messages toBSCU 40. The foregoing document is incorporated herein by reference.

C. Base Station Control Unit (BSCU)

BSCU 40 preferably, although not necessarily, includes a base station(BS) manager 41 designed to monitor the travel of each MT 17 associatedwith the notification system 10. In the preferred embodiment, althoughnot limited to this implementation, unlike the MTCU 15, the BSCU 40 isnon-mobile (although it could be in some embodiments). As an example,the BSCU 40 can be located in a central office of a telephone company.

The BS manager 41 can be implemented in software, hardware, or acombination thereof. In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated by wayof example in FIG. 3, the BS manager 41 along with its associatedmethodology is implemented in software and stored in computer memory 30b of a computer system 31 b. The computer system 31 b can be similar tocomputer system 31 a, as can be seen by comparing FIG. 2 to FIG. 3. Inthis regard, the computer system 31 b may include memory 30 b forstoring the BS manager 41, and the computer system 31 b may also includeprocessing element 32 b for executing software, local interface 33 b forconnecting the various components, input device(s) 34 b (e.g., mouse,keyboard, etc.), display(s) 35 b, printer(s) 36 b, and nonvolatilestorage device(s) 37 b. In the preferred embodiment, transceiver (TX/RX)device(s) 52, 72 include one or more suitable network interfaces thatallow the system 31 b to communicate data in connection with network 55(FIG. 1).

D. Transmission of a Status Message

In order to transmit the status message to the BSCU 40, the MT manager29 is configured to transmit the status message, via signal 43 (FIG. 1),to a communications device 44, which is capable of transmitting andreceiving data to and from devices outside of MT 17. In this regard,communications device 44 is preferably, although not necessary, acellular modem configured to transmit and receive wireless signals toand from a cellular network 48 (FIG. 1).

The communications device 44 can transmit the status message over thevoice channels associated with the cellular network 48, as is done bymost cellular modems of the prior art. However, in order to reduce thecost associated with transmitting the travel data through the cellularnetwork 48, the status message may be communicated through the cellularnetwork 48 via a data or control channel. In this regard, the statusmessage can be encoded by altering identifiers of the communicationsdevice 44, such as the mobile identification number (MIN) or electronicserial number (ESN), transmitted over a data channel of the cellularnetwork 48. Alternatively, the status message can be appended to afeature request transmitted over the data channel. As examples, U.S.Pat. No. 5,771,445 entitled, “Data Messaging in a Communications Networkusing a Feature Request,” filed on Dec. 15, 1995, by Kennedy, III, etal., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,444 entitled, “Methods and Apparatus forCommunicating Data Via a Cellular Network Control Channel” filed on Mar.11, 1994, by Roach, Jr., et al., which are both incorporated herein byreference, discuss the transmission of travel data over a data orcontrol channel associated with the cellular network 48 in furtherdetail. Also, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,401, which is incorporated hereinby reference and which describes a system for communications over awireless network as well as text messaging to personal pagers. Also, seeU.S. Pat. No. 5,544,225, which is incorporated herein by reference andwhich describes a system for communications over a wireless network aswell as communication of the location or status information of a mobileitem.

In order to transmit the status message through a data channel bymanipulating identifiers of the communications device 44, the MIN of thecommunications device 44 is altered to include the status message, butthe ESN remains fixed to be used as an identifier of the communicationsdevice 44. Therefore, after transmitting the identifiers through thedata channel, the communications device 44 can be identified by the ESN,and the status message can be determined from the MIN. Alternatively,the ESN of communications device 44 can be altered while the MIN is keptconstant. It should be understood that the invention contemplatesmodification of the MIN, ESN, both the MIN and ESN, or other identifiersof the communications device 44 to accomplish the dual task oftransmitting status messages and identifying the communications device44.

Alternatively or in combination with the manipulation of the identifiersof the communications device 44, the status message can be communicatedthrough the data channel by appending the status message to featurerequests that are transmitted through the data channel. In this regard,most feature requests are generated by automatically or manually dialingthe star key (“*”) followed by a two-digit feature requestidentification code, and 29 digits of data. Therefore, for each featurerequest generated, 29 digits of data pertaining to the status messagecan be appended to the two-digit feature request identification code andsent over the data channel of the wireless cellular network 48. Otherembodiments may transmit different amounts of data following the featurerequest. By utilizing the manipulation of identifiers or the appendageof travel data to feature requests, less data is transmitted through thevoice channels of the cellular network 48, thereby reducing the cost oftransmitting data through the cellular network 48.

In order for successful communication to exist between MT manager 29 andBS manager 41, both managers 29 and 41 should be aware of thecommunications protocol utilized. Therefore, it is desirable for the BSmanager 41 or the MT manager 29 to initially transmit an instruction viathe data channel of the cellular network 48 to the other manager 29 or41 indicating the protocol to be utilized. Thereafter, the MT manager 29transmits messages to the BS manager 41 via the selected protocol.

Cellular network 48 is designed to transmit the status message to acommunications device 52 (FIG. 1) at the BSCU 40. Although not necessaryfor implementation, cellular network 48 is preferably designed totransmit to the communications device 52 via a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 55. In this regard, PSTN 55 establishes a link betweencommunications device 52 and cellular network 48, whereby cellularnetwork 48 and communications device 52 can communicate via signals 61and 65, which are transmitted over land-line connections in thepreferred embodiment. Therefore, communications device 52 is preferablydesigned as or to include a PSTN modem capable of communicating signals65 between BS manager 41 and PSTN network 55.

Although the preferred embodiment utilizes a cellular network 48 and aPSTN network 55 to communicate travel data to BS manager 41, oneordinarily skilled in the art should realize that other configurationsare possible. For example, communications device 52 can be configured asa cellular modem capable of communicating signals directly with cellularnetwork 48. Alternatively, utilization of communications networks 48 and55 can be completely circumvented by configuring the communicationsdevice 44 to communicate directly with communications device 52, forexample. Any embodiment capable of communicating data between MT manager29 and BS manager 41 should be suitable.

It should be noted that by transmitting a status message only when theMT 17 is off schedule reduces the cost of operating the notificationsystem 10. In this regard, communication through a cellular network 48is relatively expensive, and the cost is based on the amount of datatransmitted. By refraining from transmitting any data from the MTmanager 29 to the BS manager 41 when the MT 17 is on schedule, theamount of data transmitted through the cellular network 48 is reduced,thereby reducing the communications cost associated with thenotification system 10. Therefore, the methodology of assuming the MT 17is on schedule and of only transmitting data to the BS manager 41 whenthe MT 17 is off schedule enables the notification system 10 to minimizecosts. It should be noted that the foregoing feature is optional.

E. Base Station Manager

BS manager 41 is designed to monitor the travel of the MT 17 and (whenemployed in the context of advance notification system 10) is alsodesigned to transmit a notification message to a user when the MT 17 isa predetermined proximity from a particular MT destination or otherlocation. The predetermined proximity can be a particular time ordistance that the MT 17 is from the destination. If the MT 17 is offschedule, then the BS manager 41 is further configured to transmit amessage to the user indicating that the MT 17 is off schedule.

The BS manager 41 of tracking notification system 10 is designed todetermine the current location of the MT 17 and to compare the currentlocation of the MT 17 to a predefined location along the route of travelof the MT 17 in order to determine whether notification should be sentto the user. In this regard, like the MT manager 29, the BS manager 41includes a predefined schedule 39 b, referred herein as the “basestation schedule 39 b,” in memory 30 b. Furthermore, similar to thecomputer system 31 a (FIG. 2), the computer system 31 b (FIG. 3)includes a clock 39 b or other type of counter that can be used todetermine the amount of time that has lapsed since the MT 17 startedtraveling along the MT's route. When the MT 17 begins the route, the MTmanager 29 preferably transmits a message to the BS manager 41 viacommunications devices 44 and 52 indicating that travel on the route isbeginning. In response, the BS manager 41, like the MT manager 29,begins monitoring the amount of time lapsed since the start of theroute.

In the preferred embodiment, the base station schedule 39 b stored inmemory 30 b matches the MT schedule 39 a stored in memory 30 a, althoughvariations in the two predefined schedules 39 a and 39 b are possible.Furthermore, the BS manager 41 is configured to retrieve an entry, the“corresponding entry,” in the base station schedule 39 b correspondingwith the amount of time lapsed since the MT 17 began travelling itsroute. In this regard, the BS manager 41 compares the amount of timethat has lapsed since the MT 17 began its route (as determined from theclock 38 b at the BSCU 40) with the time values in the base stationschedule 39 b. The corresponding entry in the base station schedule 39 bis the entry having the time value differing the least with the valueindicated by the clock 38 b (i.e., the time value indicating the amountof time that has lapsed since the MT 17 began its route).

The BS manager 41 assumes that the MT 17 is on schedule, unless the BSmanager 41 has received a recent status message from the MT manager 29.As used herein, a “recent status message” is the most recent statusmessage that has been received by the BS manager 41 within apredetermined time. For example, a recent status message could be thelatest status message received within the last five minutes, or at thestart of a route, or some other suitable time frame. Therefore, if theBS manager 41 has not received a recent status message from the MTmanager 29, then the BS manager 41 assumes that the location values inthe corresponding entry of the predefined base station schedule 39 bindicate the current location of the MT 17.

Recalling that BS manager 41 (when employed within the context ofnotification system 10) is to transmit a notification message when theMT 17 is a predetermined proximity from a particular location (e.g., apredefined MT stop, etc.), the BS manager 41 then compares the locationvalues in the corresponding entry (which represent the current locationof the MT 17) with location values defining the predetermined proximity.If the location values from the corresponding entry differ from thelocation values of the predetermined proximity by less than apredetermined amount, then the BS manager 41 transmits a notificationmessage to the user. Otherwise no notification message is transmitted tothe user.

Alternatively, the BS manager 41 can be configured to compare timevalues instead of location values in order to determine whether anotification message should be transmitted to the user. In this regard,the BS manager 41 is designed to compare the time value in thecorresponding entry with a predetermined threshold value indicating theamount of time that should lapse between the MT 17 starting its routeand arriving at a location associated with the predetermined proximity(e.g., a threshold value indicating how long the MT 17 should travelalong its route before notification should be sent to the user). If thethreshold value in the corresponding entry exceeds the predeterminedtime value, then the BS manager 41 causes a notification message to becommunicated to the user.

If the BS manager 41 of notification system 10 has received a recentstatus message from the MT manager 29, then the BS manager 41 determinesthe actual location values of the MT 17 based on the location values inthe corresponding entry and the recent status message. In this regard,the location values in the corresponding entry represent the estimatedlocation of the MT 17. The status message indicates how much the MT 17is off schedule (i.e., how far the MT 17 is from the estimatedlocation). For example, the status message can indicate that the MT 17is five miles off schedule. Therefore, the BS manager 41 is designed tocalculate new location values based on the estimated location and thestatus message. These new location values represent the actual locationof the MT 17. Therefore, by using the new location values instead of thevalues in the corresponding entry, the BS manager 41 can determinewhether a notification message should be sent to the user according tothe methodology described hereinabove.

Furthermore, instead of indicating how far the MT 17 is from theestimated location via location values, the status message can indicatehow far the MT 17 is from the estimated location via a time value (e.g.,the status message can indicate that the MT 17 is ten minutes late). Inthis case, the BS manager 41 is designed to adjust the time value in thecorresponding entry to account for the MT 17 being off schedule. Forexample, if the MT 17 is early, then the time value in the correspondingentry is increased a corresponding amount, and if the MT 17 is late,then the time value in the corresponding entry is decreased acorresponding amount. This adjusted time value is then compared with thepredetermined threshold value described hereinabove in order todetermine whether notification should be sent. If the adjusted timeexceeds the predetermined time value, then the BS manager 41 causes anotification message to be transmitted to the user.

In an alternative embodiment, the location values transmitted in thestatus message can represent the actual location of the MT 17 instead ofrepresenting how far the MT 17 is off schedule. In this embodiment, theBS manager 41 can be designed to directly compare these location valueswith the location values defining the predetermined proximity in orderto determine whether notification should be sent to the user.Accordingly, if these location values differ from the location valuesdefining the predetermined proximity by less than a predeterminedamount, then the BS manager 41 transmits a notification message to theuser. Otherwise, no notification message is sent to the user.

Furthermore, when the BS manager 41 determines that the MT 17 is offschedule, the BS manager 41 preferably transmits an off schedule messageto the user, as described hereinbelow, to notify the user that the MT 17is off schedule. This message can include a variety of informationincluding, but not limited, how much (in time or distance) the MT 17 isoff schedule. However, it should be noted that communication of the offschedule message is not a necessary feature.

F. Transmission of Off Schedule and Notification Messages

Once the BS manager 41 of systems 10 and 12 determines that anotification or an off schedule message should be sent to a user, the BSmanager 41 is designed to communicate the message to the user via PSTNnetwork 55 and communications devices 72 and 73 (FIG. 1). In thisregard, communications devices 72 and 73 are or include PSTN transceivermodems capable of interfacing with and communicating with PSTN network55. BS manager 41 is designed to transmit the message as signal 70 touser communications device 72, which communicates the message with PTSNnetwork 55 via signal 74. PTSN network 55 then communicates the messageto personal communications device (PCD) 75, which has a receiver and atransmitter, or a transceiver, denoted by block 73, in the preferredembodiment.

PCD 75 is configured to notify the user and communicate a notificationmessage, which may merely be a ring in the case of a telephone or pager,optionally accompanied by an audible, text, and/or other message thatcan be communicated. A PCD 75 is a communications device that can bepersonally associated with a party and enable point-to-pointcommunications between the notification system 10 and the party.Nonlimiting examples of PCDs 75 are as follows: a personal computer (PC)capable of displaying the notification through e-mail or some othercommunications software, a television, a wireless (e.g., cellular,satellite, etc.) or non-wireless telephone, a pager, a personal dataassistant, a navigation system in a motor vehicle, a radio receiver ortransceiver, or any other device capable of notifying the user with sometype of user perceptible emission. Many, although not all, PCDs 75 aretransportable. Furthermore, a plurality of communications devices 72 mayexist in some applications, so that the BS manager 41 can simultaneouslyor substantially concurrently notify a plurality of parties havingrespective devices 72 of the impending arrival of the MT 17 at aparticular MT stop.

Note that examples of useful PCDs 75 that can be utilized to implementmany of the features described in this document are portable wirelesstelephones having image capabilities (e.g., a Sanyo Model 8100 wirelessPCS vision picture phone distributed by Sprint, a Sony Ericsson T300wireless picture phone distributed by T Mobile, etc.). The WirelessAccess Protocol (WAP; developed by the WAP Forum; see WAP Version 2.0specification at www.wapforum.org, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety) can be implemented in connection withwireless telephones in order to enable these telephones to communicatewith (send data packets to and/or receive data packets from) computersor computer-based devices, such as servers, that are communicativelycoupled to the World Wide Web (WWW) of the Internet (by way of theirrespective cellular or PCS networks).

Note further that the PCDs 75 can be non-standard input/output (I/O)devices that can be communicated with over an open network, such as theInternet, using an extended open network protocol, such as extendedHTML, as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,742,845 and 5,905,908, both ofwhich are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

Although the preferred embodiment utilizes a PSTN network 55 tocommunicate a notification or an off schedule message to PCD 75, oneordinarily skilled in the art should realize that other configurationsare possible. For example, other communications networks can be utilizedor utilization of communications networks can be completely circumventedby configuring communications device 72 to communicate directly withcommunications device 73. Any communications system capable ofcommunicating data between BS manager 41 and PCD 75 should be suitable.

As an example, the BS manager 41 may notify the user of the impendingarrival of the MT 17 by transmitting a distinctive ring to the user'smessage device. In this embodiment, the PCD 75 is a telephone. Adistinctive ring is a ringing cadence that is different than thestandard ringing cadence used to notify the user of a telephone call.Since the user can different the different ringing cadence, the user isaware that the telephone call corresponds to a notification message fromthe BS manager 41 indicating that arrival of the MT 17 is imminent. Asystem for transmitting a distinctive telephone ring as the notificationmessage is fully described in U.S. Patent Application entitled, “AdvanceNotification System and Method Utilizing a Distinctive Telephone Ring,”assigned Ser. No. 08/762,052 and filed on Dec. 9, 1996, which isincorporated herein by reference.

G. Creation of the MT and Base Station Schedules

It should be noted that the predefined MT schedule 39 a and thepredefined base station schedule 39 b can be determined or defined by avariety of methodologies. For example, the predetermined schedules 39 aand 39 b can be estimated based on various factors, such as the types ofspeeds likely to be traveled by the MT 17 and the types of trafficconditions expected to be encountered during travel. However, in thepreferred embodiment, the predefined schedules 39 a and 39 b are definedvia a previous delivery of the MT 17 along the same route of travel.

In this regard, delivery vehicles 17 frequently travel the same routes.This is especially true for buses, for example, where a bus routinelytravels the same route and makes the same stops. As the MT 17 istraveling the route, the MT manager 29 is configured to periodicallyread the sensor 18 and to store an entry in memory 30 a. The entrypreferably includes the current location values of the MT 17 indicatedby sensor 18 and the time value indicated by clock 38 a (i.e., the timevalue indicating the amount of time that has lapsed since the start ofthe travel on the route). Therefore, when the MT 17 reaches the end ofthe route, the MT manager 29 has stored numerous entries which definethe predefined MT schedule 39 a. This predefined schedule 39 a may alsobe used as the base station schedule 39 b. Other methodologies may beemployed to define the MT schedule 39 a and/or the base station schedule39 b.

FIG. 4A is a flow chart depicting the operation and functionality of theMT manager 29 in embodiments where the MT manager 29 determines the MTschedule 39 a while traveling along the route of travel. As shown byblocks 76 and 77, the MT manager 29 determines whether a sample periodhas expired while the MT 17 is traveling on the route (i.e., before theMT 17 has finished the route). The sample period is a predeterminedamount of time that lapses between samples, which will be discussed inmore detail hereinbelow. Preferably, the MT clock 38 a indicates whetherthe sample period has expired. For example, when the clock 38 a is acounter, the sample period can be defined as a predetermined number ofcounts by the clock 38 a. Therefore, the MT manger 29 can determinewhether the sample period has expired by counting the number ofincrements or cycles of the clock 38 a.

When the MT manager 29 determines that the sample period has expired,the MT manager 29 samples the current location values of the MT 17 andthe time value of the clock 38 a. In other words, the MT manager 29determines the current location values of the MT 17 and the current timevalue from the clock 38 a and stores these values in the next entry ofthe MT schedule 39 a, as depicted by blocks 78 and 79. This processrepeats until the MT manager 29 determines that the MT 17 has completedthe route. Thereafter, the MT manager 29 can use the MT schedule 39 a totrack the MT's progress on future deliveries that utilize the routedefined by the MT schedule 39 a.

H. Alarm System

The MT manager 29 can be configured to compare the corresponding entryand the location values supplied from the sensor 18 in order todetermine whether an alarm signal should be generated. In this regard,the MT manager 29 preferably subtracts the location values in thecorresponding entry from the current location values of the MT 17 (asdetermined by the sensor 18) to produce a deviation indicator.Therefore, the deviation indicator indicates how far the MT 17 hasdeviated from the route defined by the MT schedule 39 a.

The MT manager 29 is then designed to compare the deviation indictor toan alarm threshold value to determine whether an alarm signal should betransmitted to the BS manager 41. The alarm threshold value correspondswith the distance that the MT 17 can deviate from the predefined MTschedule 39 a before an alarm is generated. Therefore, if the deviationindicator exceeds the alarm threshold value, the MT manager 29 transmitsan alarm message to the BS manager 41 via communications devices 44 and52. Preferably the alarm message includes the current location valuesproduced by the sensor 18 so that the travel of the MT 17 can be trackedby the BS manager 41.

Providing an alarm message, as described hereinabove, helps to discoverwhen an MT 17 has been stolen or hijacked and helps law enforcementagencies to recover the MT 17 by tracking the travel of the MT 17 oncethe MT 17 has been stolen. In this regard, the MT manager 29automatically generates an alarm message and monitors travel of the MT17 once the MT 17 deviates from the MT schedule 39 a by a predeterminedamount. The alarm message can be used by law enforcement agencies todiscover when the MT 17 has been stolen and where the MT 17 is located,thereby helping law enforcement agencies to recover the MT 17 once ithas been stolen.

Because the deviation indicator is defined relative to points along theMT's route of travel, an alarm can be generated when the MT 17 deviatesfrom the route by a relatively small amount. For example, the MT manager29 can be configured to transmit an alarm signal when the MT 17 deviatesfrom its predefined route by approximately 20 feet. Other distances,both less than and greater than 20 feet, may be used to trigger an alarmsignal. However, it is generally desirable that a certain amount ofdeviation (depending on the expected driving conditions and theprecision of sensor 18) be allowed so that the MT 17 can reasonablymaneuver through traffic without generating false alarms.

In addition, the alarm threshold value is selectable in the preferredembodiment. This value can be entered into the computer system 31 a by ahuman operator at the MT 17 via input device 34 a, for example.Alternatively, this value can be communicated from the BS manager 41 tothe MT manager 29 via communications devices 44 and 52 at or around thestart of the route. The alarm threshold value can also be hardwired intothe computer system 31 a with switches that can be manipulated by ahuman operator in order to selectively change the value. Many othermethodologies known in the art may be used for selecting the value ofthe alarm threshold value.

It should be noted that in other embodiments, it may be desirable forthe MT manager 29 to generate an alarm signal based on comparisons ofthe location of MT 17 to a predefined geographical region instead of theroute defined in MT schedule 39 a. For example, it may desirable todefine a region that is 30 miles (or some other distance) from the startof the route (or some other particular location). Then, the MT manager29 can be configured to generate an alarm signal if the MT manager 29determines that the MT 17 is outside of this predefined region based onthe signals 27 received from sensor 18. Such a methodology forgenerating an alarm signal is particularly suitable for applicationswhere only local deliveries are expected, for example.

There are various methodologies for determining whether the MT 17 isoutside of the predefined region. For example, in one embodiment, the MTmanger 29 subtracts the current location values determined from signals27 with the location values of a particular point (e.g., the locationvalues of the start of the route, when the region is defined as anypoint within a certain distance of the start of the route) to derive thedeviation indicator. As in the preferred embodiment, if the deviationindicator has a magnitude greater than the alarm threshold value, the MTmanager 29 generates an alarm signal. Otherwise, no alarm signal isgenerated.

Further note that U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,245, which is entirelyincorporated herein by reference describes an alarm system that can beemployed when a vehicle substantially departs from a predeterminedroute, for the security of transported cargo.

I. Alternative Embodiment of the MTCU

In an alternative embodiment of the MTCU, the “corresponding entry” ofthe MT schedule 39 a can be defined as the entry having location valuesdefining a location along the route that was most recently passed by theMT 17. Therefore, the MT manager 29 monitors the signals 27 from thesensor 18 until the MT manager 29 determines that the MT 17 passed alocation corresponding with one of the entries in the MT schedule 39 a.The MT manager 29 determines whether the MT 17 is early or late via thetechniques described hereinabove using the aforementioned entry as thecorresponding entry.

After determining whether to generate an alarm signal and/or statusmessage for the corresponding entry (and after generating the alarmsignal and/or the status message, if necessary), the MT manager 29monitors the signals 27 again for the next corresponding entry.Therefore, when a corresponding entry is detected (i.e., when the MTmanager 29 determines that the MT 17 passed a location correspondingwith the location values in one of the entries of the MT schedule 39 afor the first time), the MT manager 29 analyzes the values of the sensor18, the clock 38 a, and the corresponding entry to determine whether analarm signal and/or status message should be generated. Thereafter, theMT manager 29 waits until the next corresponding entry is detectedbefore determining whether to generate another status message.Therefore, the MT manager 29 determines whether a status message shouldbe communicated to the BS manager 41 each time the MT 17 passes alocation corresponding with the location values in one of the entries ofthe MT schedule 39 a, and the MT manager 29 refrains from communicatingstatus messages as the MT 17 travels between locations defined by thedata in the MT schedule 39 a. In other words, the only time the MTmanager 28 transmits a status message is when the MT 17 is passing alocation corresponding with one of the entries in the MT schedule 39 aor a short time thereafter.

However, since it is possible for the MT 17 not to pass any of thelocations defined in the predefined schedule when the MT 17 deviatesfrom the route (e.g., when the MT 17 is stolen), the MT manager 29preferably determines whether to communicate an alarm signalperiodically rather than waiting for one of the locations defined by theMT manager 29 to be passed.

J. Overall Notification System Operation

A possible implementation of use and operation of the notificationsystem 10 and associated methodology are described hereafter. Forillustrative purposes only, assume that the MT 17 is to travel apredetermined route to a destination where the MT 17 is to pick up ordeliver an item. For example, assume that the MT 17 is a bus that is totravel to a bus stop to pick up a passenger and that this passenger isto receive a notification signal when the MT 17 is ten minutes from thebus stop.

Initially, the MT schedule 39 a is stored in the MT manager 29 and thebase station schedule 39 a is stored in the BS manager 41. In thepreferred embodiment, the MT schedule 39 a was created and stored in theMT manager 29 as the MT 17 previously traveled along the same route. Acopy of the MT schedule 39 a is preferably transferred to the BS manager41 via any suitable methodology and stored as the base station schedule39 a. For example, the MT schedule 39 a can be copied to a magnetic diskand later downloaded in memory 30 b or a copy of the MT schedule 39 acan be transmitted to the BS manager 41 via communications devices 44and 52.

In embodiments where the MT schedule 39 a is not previously created andstored by the MT manager 29, the MT schedule 39 a is preferablydownloaded into both the BS manager 41 and the MT manager 29. It ispossible to download the base station schedule 39 a in the BS manager 41and to transmit a copy of the base station schedule 39 a to the MTmanager 29 via communications devices 44 and 52 prior to the start ofthe route. Any methodology for respectively storing the MT schedule 39 aand the base station schedule 39 b into the MT manager 29 and the BSmanager 41 is suitable.

When the MT 17 begins travel, the MT manager 29 stores the current valueof the MT clock 38 a and begins to monitor the amount of time thatlapses from that point until completion of the route. Furthermore, ascan be seen by block 82 of FIG. 4B, the MT manager 29 also transmits astart signal to the base station manger 41 via communications devices 44and 52 indicating that travel of the MT 17 is beginning. In response,the BS manager 41 begins to monitor the lapsed time as well.

In many situations, it may be desirable to begin monitoring travel ofthe MT 17 after the MT 17 starts its route. This is particularly truewhen unpredictable delays usually occur close to the staring point ofthe route. For example, when the MT 17 is a school bus taking childrenhome from school, unpredictable delays may occur close to the startingpoint (i.e., at the school) where traffic is often congested. Therefore,instead of transmitting a start signal to the BS manager 41 when the MT17 begins traveling, the MT manager 29 waits for a predetermined timeperiod or until the MT 17 has traveled a predetermined distance from thestarting point before transmitting the start signal. For example, the MTmanager 29 can monitor the travel of the MT 17 from the starting pointvia the sensor 18 and transmit the start signal once the MT manager 29determines that the MT has traveled one-eighth of a mile from thestarting point. In this regard, location values representing apredetermined point along the route of travel and one-eighth of a milefrom the starting point can be stored in the MT manager 29. When the MTmanager 29 determines that the MT 17 passes this point, the MT manager29 determines that the MT 29 has traveled more than one-eighth of a mileand transmits the start signal.

Preferably, the predetermined schedules 39 a and 39 b both use the pointwhere the MT manager 29 transmits the start signal as the starting pointfor the route. Therefore, the distances and times stored in thepredetermined schedules 39 a and 39 b are relative to the predeterminedlocation where MT manager 29 transmits the start signal instead of theactual starting point of the route. However, this is not a necessaryfeature, and the location values and time values stored in thepredetermined schedules 39 a and 39 b may be relative to other pointsboth along the route of travel and outside of the route of travel.

As the MT 17 travels, GPS satellites 23 transmit wireless signals 21 tosensor 18 that can be analyzed through techniques well known in the artto determine a position (i.e., current location values) of the sensor 18(and, therefore, of the MT 17) relative to a particular reference point,as depicted by block 85 of FIG. 4B. For example, in GPS systems, theintersection of the Equator and the Prime Meridian is typically used asthe reference point. Sensor 18 receives the signals 21 and determineslocation values representing the position of the MT 17 relative to thereference point and transmits these values to MT manager 29.

The MT manager 29 compares the current location values of the MT 17 withthe location values in the MT schedule 39 a in order to determine whichentry in the MT schedule 39 a corresponds with the current location ofthe MT 17, as shown by block 87 of FIG. 4B. The corresponding entry ispreferably the entry having location values that most closely match thecurrent location values received from the sensor 18.

After selecting the corresponding entry, the MT manager 29 retrieves thelocation values associated with the corresponding entry and subtractsthese values from the current location values received from the sensor18 and used by the MT manager 29 to select the corresponding entry.Referring to block 91 of FIG. 4B, the resulting value or values(referred to as the deviation indicator) indicates the MT's deviationfrom the MT schedule 39 a. As shown by block 93 of FIG. 4B, the MTmanager 29 then compares the deviation indicator to the alarm thresholdvalue. If the deviation indicator exceeds the alarm threshold value,then the MT manager 29 transmits an alarm message to the BS manager 41,as depicted by block 95 of FIG. 4B. The alarm message includes thecurrent location of the MT 18, and the BS manager 41 tracks the locationof the MT 17 based on the alarm messages transmitted from the MT manager29. The information provided by the alarm message can be used by lawenforcement agencies to track the MT 17.

After determining whether an alarm message should be generated, the MTmanager 29 retrieves the time value associated with the correspondingentry and compares it with the time value indicated by clock 38 a (i.e.,the time value indicating the amount of time elapsed since the start ofthe route). The MT manager 29 also retrieves a predetermined thresholdvalue indicating how much the MT 17 can deviate from the MT predefinedschedule 39 a before the MT 17 is considered to be off schedule.Referring to block 97 of FIG. 4B, if the difference of the foregoingtime values exceeds the predetermined threshold value, then the MTmanager 29 determines that the MT 17 is off schedule. However, if thedifference of the foregoing time values is less than the predeterminedthreshold value, then the MT manager 29 determines that the MT 17 is onschedule.

When the MT manager 29 determines that the MT 17 is on schedule, the MTmanager takes no further action regarding the current location valuesreceived from the sensor 18. The MT manager 29 merely receives a new setof location values from the sensor 18 and analyzes the new set of valuesaccording to the methodology described herein. However, when the MTmanager 29 determines that the MT 17 is off schedule, the MT manager 29generates a status message and transmits the status message to the BSmanager 41, as depicted by block 99 of FIG. 4B.

In this regard, the MT manager 29 determines whether the MT 17 is earlyor late and how far the MT 17 is off schedule (e.g., how many minutes ormiles the MT 17 is from the location specified by the location values inthe corresponding entry). The MT manager 29 then generates a statusmessage including this information and transmits the status message tothe BS manager 41 via communications devices 44 and 52.

In order to reduce the number of transmissions between the MT 17 and thebase station control unit 40, the MT manager 29 preferably (although notnecessary) transmits the status message to the BS manager 41 only ifanother status message has not been transmitted within a predetermineddelay period. For example, if a status message has been sent within apredetermined time period, for example, within the last five minutes,then the MT manager 29 refrains from sending another status message. Itshould be apparent to one skilled in the art that other delay periodscan be selected to update the location of the MT 17 at a desirable rate.

Furthermore, it is possible to selectively control the delay period. Forexample, when the MT 17 stops to make a delivery or is slowly travelingthrough congested areas, it may be desirable to increase the delayperiod to decrease the number of status messages sent to the BS manager41. Alternatively, when the MT 17 is traveling quickly and the locationof the MT 17 is changing rapidly, it may be desirable to decrease thedelay period. Furthermore, when the MT 17 enters an area where noimmediate deliveries or pick ups are to made, there is no immediate needto monitor the MT 17 and the delay period can be increased. The delayperiods can be predefined in memory 30 a, can be controlled by theoperator of the MT 17, or can be controlled via signals transmitted fromremote locations to the MT manager 29 (e.g., from the BS manager 41 tothe MT manager 29 via communications device 44). Other methodologies forcontrolling the delay periods are possible.

Another way to reduce the number of transmissions of status messages atdesired times is to selectively increase the predefined amount that theMT 17 should be off schedule before a status message is transmitted tothe base station control manager 41. Similar to the changes in the delayperiods described above, the changes to the aforementioned predefinedamount can be predefined in memory 30 a, can be controlled by theoperator of the MT 17, or can be controlled via signals transmitted fromremote locations to the MT manager 29 (e.g., from BS manager 41 to MTmanager 29 via communications device 44).

The input device 34 a (FIG. 2) can be used to input changes in the delayperiod and/or in the predefined amount that the MT should be offschedule before a status message is transmitted. In this regard, theinput device 34 a may include switches, buttons, a key pad, or any otherdevice that can be manipulated by the operator of the MT 17 to input thechanges.

When the BS manager 41 receives a status message, the BS manager 41stores the status message in memory 30 b. If desired, the BS manager 41transmits a message to the user via communications devices 72 and 73indicating that the MT 17 is off schedule and indicating how much the MT17 is off schedule in response to the status message.

The BS manager 41 periodically determines whether a notification messageshould be sent to the user indicating that arrival of the MT 17 at thebus stop is imminent (e.g., indicating that the MT 17 is ten minutesfrom the bus stop). In this regard, the notification message should besent to the user when the MT 17 is within a predetermined proximity(i.e., a predetermined time or distance) from the bus stop. To determinewhether the notification message should be sent, the BS manager 41compares the location values of the current location of the MT 17 to thelocation values of the predetermined location (e.g., the bus stop). Ifthe difference between the location values of the current location ofthe MT 17 and the bus stop is greater than a threshold value, then theMT 17 is too far from the bus stop for notification to be sent to theuser. Therefore, a notification message is not generated. However, ifthe difference between the location values of the current location ofthe MT 17 and the bus stop is less than the threshold value, then anotification message is transmitted to the user via communicationsdevices 72 and 73, unless a similar notification message (i.e., amessage indicating that the MT 17 is off schedule by the same amount)associated with the bus stop has previously been sent to the user.

In determining the current location of the MT 17, the BS manager 41assumes that the MT 17 is on schedule unless a recent status message hasbeen received. Therefore, the MT manager 41 determines which entry inthe base station schedule 39 b corresponds to the assumed location ofthe MT 17. In this regard, the MT manager 41 compares the time values inthe base station schedule 39 b with a lapsed time value indicating howmuch time has lapsed since the MT 17 started the route. The entry havinga time value closest to this lapsed time value is the correspondingentry. The location values associated with the corresponding entryrepresent the assumed location of the MT 17. Unless a recent statusmessage has been received, the BS manager 41 uses these location valuesas the current location values to be compared against the locationvalues of the predetermined location (e.g., the bus stop) in order todetermine whether a notification message should be sent to the user.However, if a recent status message has been received, then the BSmanager 41 determines the current location values of the MT 17 based onthe recent status message and/or the location values associated with thecorresponding entry.

For example, if the recent status message includes location valuesindicating the actual location of the MT 17, then the BS manager 41 usesthese values to compare with the coordinate values of the predeterminedlocation (e.g., the bus stop). However, if the status message onlyindicates how much the MT 17 is off schedule, then the BS manager 41calculates the current location values of the MT 17 based on the statusmessage and the location values associated with the corresponding entryin the base station schedule 39 b.

Once the current location values of the MT 17 have been determined, theBS manager 41 compares the current location values of the MT 17 with thelocation values of the predetermined location (e.g., the bus stop) aspreviously described hereinabove to determine whether a notificationsignal should be transmitted to the user.

The operation of the preferred embodiment has been described hereinabovein the context where the MT manager 29 compares location values todetermine the corresponding entry in the MT predefined schedule 39 a.Therefore, the MT manager 29 compares the time value associated with thecorresponding entry in the MT schedule 39 a to determine whether or notthe MT 17 is on schedule. However, it should be apparent to one skilledin the art upon reading this disclosure that time values may be comparedby the MT manager 29 to determine the corresponding entry in the MTpredefined schedule 39 a.

In this regard, the entry in the MT schedule 39 a having a time valuemost closely matching the lapsed time value indicated by the clock 38 a(i.e., the value indicating the amount of time lapsed since the start ofthe route) can be selected as the corresponding entry. As a result, theMT manager 29 determines how far the MT 17 is off schedule based ondistance rather than time. For example, if the difference between thecurrent location values of the MT 17 (as determined by the sensor 18)and the location values associated with the corresponding entry isgreater than a predetermined threshold value, then the MT 17 is offschedule. Otherwise, the MT 17 is on schedule. Furthermore, regardlessof which embodiment is used to determine how far the MT 17 is offschedule, the MT manager 29 can indicate how far the MT 17 is offschedule via the status message using either distance values, timevalues, or any other type of values known in the art for indicating theposition of the MT 17.

It should be noted that the preferred embodiment has been describedhereinabove assuming that the sensor 18 is capable of determining theMT's location based on signals received from satellites 23. However,this is not a necessary feature, and any type of sensor 18 that may beused for determining the MT's position along the route of travel issufficient. For example, the sensor 18 may be designed as an odometerthat indicates how far the MT 17 travels. Therefore, the predeterminedpoints along the route of travel used to determine whether the MT 17 ison or off schedule can be defined in the schedules 39 a and 39 brelative to their distance from the starting point of the route. Inother words, the location values stored in the schedules 39 a and 39 bcorrespond to distance values indicating how far the predeterminedpoints are from the starting point of the route. Therefore, the MTmanager 29 can determine how far the MT 29 is from any of thepredetermined points by determining how far the MT 17 has traveled fromthe starting point of the route.

K. User Notification Preferences and Reports

BS manager 41 is designed to receive the travel data transmitted from MTmanager 29 and to monitor the travel of the MT attached to the MTCU 15by monitoring the travel of the MTCU 15. In this regard, BS manager 41is designed to include a data manager 67 configured to receive thetravel data via signal 66 from communications device 52, as depicted byFIG. 5A. Data manager 67 is designed to store the travel data for eachMTCU 15 being monitored in a database 94, which is preferably arelational database having a number of tables 68, but other databasesare possible, for example, flat-file database, inverted-list database,one made up of lookup tables, etc.

As is well known in the art, a relational database is a database ordatabase management system that stores information in tables—rows andcolumns of data—and conducts searches by using data in specified columnsof one table to find additional data in another table. In a relationaldatabase, the rows of a table represent records (collections ofinformation about separate items) and the columns represent fields(particular attributes of a record). In conducting searches, arelational database matches information from a field in one table withinformation in a corresponding field of another table to produce a thirdtable that combines requested data from both tables. For example, if onetable contains the fields MOBILE-THING-ID, PACKAGE-ID, and LOAD-DATE,and another contains the fields STOP-TIME, MOBILE-THING-ID, andSTOP-LOCATION, a relational database can match the MOBILE-THING-IDfields in the two tables to find such information as the possible pickupstop locations for packages transported by the MT or the delivery times(stop times) for all packages loaded on the MT within the last day. Inother words, a relational database uses matching values in two tables torelate information in one to information in the other.

Although not limited to this configuration, in one embodiment, amongothers, the database 94 includes, among other things and in general, anMT data table 68 a having information pertaining to the MT, such as anID, type (package, mobile vehicle type, etc.), model, whether the thinghas air conditioning, etc.; a user data table 68 b having informationregarding user preferences; a communication method data table 68 chaving information pertaining to various communications methods that canbe utilized for contacting a user (which can be linked to the userpreferences); a stop location data table 68 d having informationpertaining to stop locations of MTs; an MT (MT) travel data table 68 ehaving information concerning travel status of MTs, an advertisementdata table 68 f having advertisements that can be communicated to a PCD75; a PCD data table 68 g having information pertaining to the devices75; an authentication data table 68 h having authentication informationor indicia to be described later in this document, a PCD travel datatable 68 i having information pertaining to travel of a tracked PCD 75,a traffic flow predicament data table 68 j, a package data table 68 k, afailure states data table 681, a tasks data table 68 m, sub-tables ofthe foregoing, etc. The tables 68 include related fields for linking andrelating various elements in the various tables 68.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, MTCUs are related to identificationvalues in MT data table 68 a, and these values are correlated withtravel data in MT travel data table 68 e. Travel data can includeinformation such as, but not limited to, the MTCU's coordinate values(i.e., the MTCU's 15 location relative to a predetermined referencepoint), information regarding delivery status of items to be delivered,and/or the times that the MTCU 15 reached particular locations or stops.The database 94 is configured to contain all of the desirableinformation to monitor the status of each MTCU 15 associated with thenotification system 10.

Referring to FIG. 5B, data manager 67 is configured to include amonitoring mechanism 69. The functionality of monitoring mechanism 69 isdepicted in FIG. 5C. As shown by blocks 88 a-88 f of FIG. 5C, monitoringmechanism 69 is configured to receive travel data from MTCU 15 and tocompare the travel data with predefined preference data stored in thedatabase 94, particularly the user data table 68 b. Preference data, asused herein, is data that defines the preferred parameters indicatingwhen to notify a user of the impending arrival of the MTCU 15 at aparticular location. It can be system defined or user defined. Forexample, preference data can be coordinates of a desired locationwhereby a notification message is sent to a user when the coordinates ofthe MTCU 15 pass the coordinates of the desired location. In thiscontext, the desired location defined by the preference data can, forexample, represent a location that is a predetermined distance from theuser house, place of delivery or pickup, or other particular location.Therefore, when the user receives the notification message, the user isaware of the approximate location of the MTCU 15 or of the distance ofthe MTCU 15 from a predetermined point (i.e., of the proximity of theMTCU 15 from a predetermined point or location). Consequently, the usercan prepare for the arrival of the MTCU 15, since the user knows thatarrival of the MTCU 15 is imminent.

As an alternative embodiment, the preference data can define a certaintime before the MTCU 15 reaches a destination or other particularlocation (i.e., a proximity of the MTCU 15 from the predeterminedpoint). In this regard, the monitoring mechanism 69 is designed todetermine the location of the MTCU 15 from the travel data stored in MTtravel data table 68 e of database 94. The monitoring mechanism 69 isthen designed to calculate the time it will take for the MTCU 15 toreach the location specified by the preference data based on thelocation of the MTCU 15 and the location of the desired destination. Incalculating the travel time, the monitoring mechanism 69 can beconfigured to make assumptions about the time necessary to travel to thespecified location. For example, if the route of the MTCU 15 is throughcongested areas, the monitoring mechanism 69 can assume a certain delaytime for traveling certain distances, and if the route of the MTCU 15 isthrough less congested areas, the monitoring mechanism 69 can assumeanother delay time that is less than the delay time assumed for thecongested areas. Alternatively, the monitoring mechanism 69 can use anaverage of the times it has previously taken for MTs 17 to travel overthe same route during other deliveries. Therefore, by comparing thetravel data transmitted from MTCU 15 with preference data, themonitoring mechanism 69 can determine when to send a notificationmessage to a user.

As depicted by blocks 88 a, 88 b, 88 g, and 88 h of FIG. 5C, thepreference data can be stored in user data table 68 b of the database 94(FIG. 5B). As stated hereinbefore, the MT travel data table 68 e of thedatabase 94 is preferably configured to store the travel data associatedwith each MTCU 15 in a respective entry uniquely identified with theassociated MTCU 15. Accordingly, each data entry can also include thepreference data associated with each MTCU 15 that corresponds with theentry, or the preference data can be stored in separate entries whichare correlated with corresponding MTCU entries.

Once the monitoring mechanism 69 determines that a notification messageshould be sent to a user, the data manager 67 is designed to communicatea message to a user at a remote location via PSTN network 55 andcommunications devices 72 and 73 (FIG. 1). In this regard,communications devices 72 and 73 are preferably PSTN modems capable ofcommunicating with PSTN network 55. Data manager 67 is designed totransmit the message as signal 70 to user communications device 72,which communicates the message with PTSN network 55 via signal 74. PTSNnetwork 55 then communicates the message to communications device 73,which is preferably configured to communicate the message to a PCD 75.PCD 75 is configured to notify the user of the impending arrival of theMTCU 15. As mentioned, PCD 75 can be a computer capable of displayingthe notification through e-mail or some other communications software.Alternatively, PCD 75 can be a telephone, a pager or any other devicecapable of notifying a user.

1. User Activation

In order for data manager 67 to transmit a notification PCD 75, datamanager 67 should be aware of certain contact information enabling datamanager 67 to contact the PCD 75. In this regard, data manager 67 isconfigured to include a user data table 68 b (FIG. 5) containing contactinformation pertaining to each user that is to receive a notificationmessage from the data manager 67. In the preferred embodiment, the usertable 68 b is capable of uniquely identifying each user of thenotification system 10, and has entries that specify contact informationassociated with each user. Each entry preferably includes a useridentification number unique to each user that identifies theinformation in the entry as relating to a particular user.

Each entry preferably includes a value specifying the medium throughwhich the user has specified to be contacted. For example, the value canindicate that the user is to be contacted through e-mail, in which casethe entry should also include the user e-mail address. Alternatively,the value can indicate that the user is to be contacted through atelephone call or a page. In these situations, the entry should alsoinclude the user telephone number or pager number. The value can alsoindicate multiple methods of notification. For example, the value canindicate that the user is to be first contacted via telephone. If thereis no answer when the data manager 67 attempts to deliver a notificationmessage, then the data manager 67 can be configured to attemptnotification via paging. If paging fails, then the data manager 67 canbe configured to attempt notification through e-mail or other computeroriented messaging system. Accordingly, the order of notification mediashould be indicated by the data in the user data table 68 b, and thecontact information necessary for each method selected (e.g., thetelephone number, pager number, and e-mail address of the user) shouldalso be included in the entry. It should be noted that various othercommunications media and combinations of communications media can beemployed.

The contact information (and preference data, which will be discussed infurther detail hereinafter) can be manually entered or downloaded intothe user data table 68 b in order to activate a user for thenotification system 10. In this regard, a system operator can receivethe contact information (and preference data) via a telephone call ore-mail, for example, and manually enter the information into thenotification system 10.

However, in the preferred embodiment, the contact information isautomatically entered into the user data table 68 b via a messagemanager 82, which is depicted by FIG. 5B. The functionality of themessage manager 82 is shown in FIG. 5D. The message manager 82 isconfigured to receive, via communications device 72 (FIG. 1), anactivation request from a user at PCD 75, as shown by blocks 90 a, 90 b,90 f of FIG. 5D. In this regard, the request can be transmitted to PCD75, via any suitable technique known in the art, and the BSCU 38 can beconfigured to include a plurality of communications devices 72, asdepicted by FIG. 5A.

Each of these communications devices 72 can be configured tosimultaneously communicate with a respective user of the notificationsystem 10. The information received by the communications devices 72 canbe transmitted to message manager 82 (FIG. 5B) via any suitabletechnique, such as time division multiplexing, for example. Each usercommunications device 72 can also be designed to communicate withdifferent communications media. For example, one user communicationsdevice 72 can be designed as a modem to communicate with a modemassociated with a user. This user communications device 72 can bedesigned to send data configured to prompt the user to return datapertaining to contact information. An example of such a prompt, could bea template or web page where the PCD 75 (i.e., a computer in this case)displays the template, and the user can fill in fields of the templatewith the appropriate contact information. Alternatively, another one ofthe user communications devices 72 can be designed to receive atelephone call from a user and to prompt the user to enter data throughtouch-tone signaling. Other user communications devices 72 can bedesigned to communicate with other types of communications media knownin the art.

Once the message manager 82 (FIG. 5B) receives the request from theuser, the message manager 82 is designed to determine that the requestis a request for activation (i.e., a request for the user to be enteredinto the notification system 10). In response, the message manager 82transmits data to the user, via user communications device 72, in orderto prompt the user to transmit the necessary contact information, asshown by block 90 g of FIG. 5D. In this regard, the message manager 82is configured to determine the type of medium used by the user tocommunicate the request for activation and to transmit a prompt to theuser that is compatible with this medium. For example, when the user iscommunicating via a modem, the message manager 82 is configured totransmit signals compatible with the user modem in order to prompt theuser to enter the appropriate contact information. This data could be inthe form of a web page transmitted through the Internet, or the promptcould simply be messages transmitted through e-mail or some other datacommunications system.

When the user is communicating via a PCD 75 in the form of a telephone,the message manager 82 can be designed to transmit recorded messages tothe user. The user can then select or enter data by transmittingtouch-tone signals in response to the prompting messages, as is commonlyknown in the art. The message manager 82 may be configured tocommunicate with the user in other formats and media known in the art.

Once the message manager 82 receives the contact information from theuser, the message manager 82 is designed to store the contactinformation as an entry in the user data table 68 b, as depicted byblock 90 h of FIG. 5D. When the monitoring mechanism 69 determines thata user should be notified of an impending arrival of an MTCU 15, themonitoring mechanism 69 is designed to send a notification command tomessage manager 82. The notification command may include travel data tobe sent to the user, such as data indicating that a particular MT is acertain proximity from the destination defined by the preference data.In response, the message manager 82 is designed to retrieve the contactinformation associated with the user from the user data table 68 b andto determine how to contact the user based on the retrieved contactinformation, as depicted by blocks 90 c and 90 d of FIG. 5D.

The message manager 82 is then designed to transmit a message compatiblewith the medium previously selected by the user for notification, asdepicted by block 90 e of FIG. 5D. The message can include any traveldata sent to the message manager 82 from the monitoring mechanism 69.For example, when the contact information indicates that a telephonecall is the preferred medium for notification, the message manager 82can send a recorded telephone message to the telephone number that isindicated by the contact information retrieved from the user data table68 b. If the monitoring mechanism 69 included travel data indicating thetime of arrival in the command to message manager 82, then messagemanager 82 can be configured to include a message indicating theexpected time of arrival at a particular location. Alternatively, thesame information can be sent via e-mail, facsimile, page or other typeof communications medium to the user, depending on the preferencesselected by the user during activation.

During activation, the message manager 82 can be further configured toprompt for and receive preference data (i.e., data pertaining to whenthe user is to be notified) from the user, as shown by block 90 g ofFIG. 5D. In this regard, the message manager 82 can be designed toprompt the user to return information indicating which MTCU 15 is to bemonitored on behalf of the user and when the notification is to be sentto the user. For example, the user can be prompted to select an MTCU 15,a destination (or other particular location), and a notificationpreference to indicate a time or distance that the MTCU 15 should befrom the selected destination or other particular location when anotification is to be sent to the user. In response, the user specifies,through any known suitable communications technique, which MTCU 15 theuser wishes the notification system 10 to monitor and how the userwishes to be notified of an impending arrival of the selected MTCU 15 atthe selected destination. If the user knows the coordinate values of thedestination, the user can simply transmit the coordinate values to thedata manager 67. If the user selects the destination without supplyingthe coordinates of the destination (e.g., the user selects a destinationfrom a list of locations) then the data manager 67 is preferablydesigned to determine the coordinate values transparently.

In some instances, the user may be aware of the vehicle number and stopnumber used by the notification system 10 to identify a particular MTCU15 and destination. For example, many buses are associated with acommonly known bus number, and the stops along the bus' route areassociated with commonly known bus stop numbers. The data manager 67 canbe configured to recognize the MTCU 15 and destination associated withthe bus number and stop number entered by the user in order to registerthe user with the notification system 10.

As depicted by block 90 i of FIG. 5D, the message manager 82 ispreferably designed to automatically transmit to monitoring mechanism 69the preferences selected by the user that pertain to when the user is tobe notified. The monitoring mechanism 69 is designed to store thispreference information in the database 94 and designed to relate it tothe selected MTCU 15.

Once a user becomes activated with the notification system 10, the usermay make changes to the preferences specified by the user, as shown byblocks 90 j-90 m of FIG. 5D. The message manager 82 is configured toreceive the request for changes from the user. The message manager 82can be configured to request the user to resubmit all contactinformation and preference data, as updated, or can be configured torequest the user to only submit desired changes to the contactinformation or preference data. After receiving the new data, themessage manager 82 is configured to update the contact information inuser data table 68 b and to send a request to monitoring mechanism 69 toupdate the preference data relating to the monitoring of travel data. Inresponse, monitoring mechanism 69 is designed to update the preferencedata in database 94, as shown by blocks 88 g and 88 h of FIG. 5C.

It should be further noted that as described hereinabove, the preferencedata and travel data can be automatically received and stored in thedatabase 94 and selected MTs 17 can be automatically monitored by thenotification system 10.

2. Requests for Travel Data

In addition to providing the user with automatic advance notification ofan impending arrival of an MTCU 15, the notification system 10 can alsobe used to provide the user with travel data on demand, as depicted byblocks 90 n-90 p, 90 d and 90 e of FIG. 5D. In this regard, the usercommunications device 72 is designed to receive a request for traveldata from a user. For example, the user may call the communicationsdevice 72 on a telephone and through touch-tone signaling select, amongother options, an option to discover the distance and/or time aparticular MTCU 15 is from the destination specified by the userpreference data or specified by the user during the request for traveldata. The user communications device 72 is designed to transmit the userselections to message manager 82. Based on the selections, the messagemanager 82 is designed to determine that the user message is a requestfor travel data. In response, the message manager 82 sends a request tomonitoring mechanism 69 to retrieve the requested database 94.

The monitoring mechanism 69 is designed to receive the request fortravel data from message manager 82 and to interpret the request inorder to determine which travel information from the MT travel datatable 68 e of the database 94 is desired by the user, as depicted byblocks 88 i and 88 j of FIG. 5C. The monitoring mechanism 69 is thendesigned to retrieve from the database 94 the desired travel data and totransmit the retrieved travel data to message manager 82, as shown byblocks 88 k and 881 of FIG. 5C.

In the case where the user desires to know the time and/or distance theselected MTCU 15 is from the selected location, the monitoring mechanism69 is designed to retrieve from MT travel data table 68 e of database 94the coordinates of the destination specified by the user (if notprovided in the request for travel data) and the current coordinates ofthe MTCU 15 of interest to the user. Prior to retrieving this data, themonitoring mechanism 69 can be configured to update the travel data forthe MTCU 15 by transmitting an update request to the MTCU 15 via MTcommunications device 52. Similar to the user communications devices 72,a plurality of MT communications devices 52 may be located at the BSCU38 in order for multiple MTs 17 to simultaneously communicate with themonitoring mechanism 69, as depicted by FIG. 5B. The MT communicationsdevices 52 are configured to communicate with the monitoring mechanism69 through any suitable technique, such as time division multiplexing,for example.

After receiving the update request via communications devices 52 and 44,the MT manager 29 is designed to transmit the current values of the MTtravel data to the monitoring manager 69. By updating the MT travel databefore responding to the user request for travel data, the monitoringmechanism 69 can ensure the accuracy of the response transmitted to theuser.

After retrieving the coordinate values from the database 94, themonitoring mechanism 69 is designed to calculate the distance that theMTCU 15 is from the selected destination based on the coordinate valuesof the MTCU 15 and the coordinate values of the destination. If thepreference data and/or request for travel data indicates that the useris to be notified when the MTCU 15 is a certain time from the selecteddestination, the monitoring mechanism 69 is then designed to determinethe estimated time of arrival of the MTCU 15 at the destination based onthis distance. As described previously, the monitoring mechanism 69 isdesigned to either assume that certain distances will take a certainamount of time to travel based on the type of traffic conditions usuallyencountered on the route or to calculate an average time previouslyrequired for MTs 17 of the system to travel the route. To increase theaccuracy of the calculations, the route should be divided into sectionswhere the time required to travel each section is independentlycalculated. Furthermore, time delays associated with scheduled stops ordeliveries can be factored into the calculations by assuming a delaytime for each stop or delivery depending on the type of stop or deliveryexpected.

After calculating the distance and, if requested, the time the MTCU 15is from the destination, the monitoring mechanism 69 is configured totransmit the calculated values to the message manager 82. In response,the message manager 82 is designed to transmit the calculatedinformation to the user via user communications device 72. Since theuser already has an established communications connection with usercommunications device 72 when requesting travel data, there is no needfor the message manager 82 to consult the contact information in theuser data table 68 b. The message manager 82 can simply transmit thedata over the same connection. However, if desired, the message manager82 may consult the contact information in the user data table 68 b todetermine the user preferences in notification and notify the user ofthe distance and/or time accordingly.

The monitoring mechanism 69 can also be configured to transmit a commandto a mapping system 86 (FIG. 5B) to transmit mapping data to the messagemanager 82, if the user request for travel data or user preference datain database 94 includes a request for a mapping. The mapping system 86may be any system known in the art for producing and supplying a userwith mapping data for rendering a display of a map. The command to themapping system 86 preferably includes the coordinate values of the MTCU15 and the destination. In response, the mapping system 86 transmits tomessage manager 82 mapping data sufficient for forming a display mapwith the locations of the MTCU 15 and the destination graphicallydisplayed by the display map. The message manager 82 is designed toretrieve the contact information for the user requesting the travel dataand is further configured to determine an address (e.g., an IP addressor other type of address indicating how the mapping data is to be routedto user) associated with the user for sending the mapping data. Themessage manager 82 is then designed to transmit the mapping data to theretrieved address, which preferably identifies a computer associatedwith the user. When the PCD 75 (i.e., a computer in this case) receivesthe mapping data, the user computer is configured to render a graphicaldisplay depicting a map that shows the MT's location relative to thedestination on the map.

If desired, the monitoring mechanism 69 can be configured to transmitthe coordinate values of the MTCU 15 to the mapping system 86 each timethe coordinate values are updated. The user request for travel data canrequest this feature or the user can indicate this desire in thepreference data submitted during activation. Accordingly, for eachupdate, the mapping system 86 is designed to transmit updated mappingdata to the user computer 75 via message manager 82, as previouslydescribed. As a result, the position of the MTCU 15 is updated, and theuser can monitor the progress of the MTCU 15 on the display map renderedby the computer 75.

Although the preferred embodiment illustrates the requests for traveldata by determining the distance the MTCU 15 is from a particularlocation or by determining the time the MTCU 15 is from the particularlocation, other information can be used to indicate the proximity of theMTCU 15 from the particular location. For example, the messagetransmitted to the user in response to a request for travel data canindicate that the MTCU 15 is currently at another particular location orlandmark, preferably known to the user. Any other information indicatingthe proximity of the MTCU 15 from a particular location can be used.

3. Establishing User Preferences

Initially, a user at remote location establishes communication with themessage manager 82 via communications devices 72 and 73. As used herein,the term “remote location” shall refer to any location off the site ofthe BSCU 38. The user can establish communication via a telephone, ane-mail message, the Internet, or any other suitable communicationmedium. The message manager 82 preferably transmits a list of options tothe user, such as whether the user would like to activate a monitoringof a particular MT, to retrieve travel data for a particular MT or tomodify preferences previously selected by the user in an earliercommunication session with the message manager 82. In response, the userselects the activation option.

The message manager 82 then prompts the user to select certainpreferences. For example, the message manager 82 can request the user toidentify a particular MTCU 15 that the user wishes the notificationsystem 10 to track and a particular destination for the selected MTCU15. If the user knows the identification number of the MTCU 15 or MTstop number used by the notification system 10 to identify theparticular MTCU 15 and/or destination, the user can simply transmit amessage including this information. As an example, the bus numbersand/or bus stops of commercial and state operated buses are usuallyavailable to the public. Therefore, the user may be aware of the busnumber and/or stop number of a particular bus that the user wishes toride, and the user can simply transmit the bus number and/or stop numberto the message manager 82. Also, the user should be able to specifyother identifying information such as the day or days of desired traveland the time of day of desired travel.

In the embodiment where the user is expecting to receive a package froma particular delivery vehicle, the user may be aware of the packagenumber or delivery number used by the notification system 10. Therefore,by specifying the package number and the address that the vehicle is todeliver the package, the particular MTCU 15 of the vehicle that is todeliver the package can be located by the notification system 10. Inthis regard, a database should be defined by the operators of thenotification system 10 that relates package numbers to MTCU 15 numbers.

Alternatively, if the user is unable to identify a particular MT or MTCU15, the message manager 82 can send information to the user that can beused to help the user identify a particular MTCU 15. For example, themessage manager 82 can transmit to the user a list of buses or a list ofMT stops to the user. The user can use this information to select aparticular MTCU 15 that is suitable to the user.

Also, the message manager 82 can send map data from mapping system 86 tothe user. The user can then view the map and select points on the mapwhere the user would like to know when the MTCU 15 reaches the selectedpoint. The points available for selection can be predetermined, such asscheduled bus stops or other types of vehicle stops, or the user can beallowed to freely select any point on the map. In either case, themapping logic preferably transmits the coordinates of the selectedpoints to the message manager 82, which can use this information to notonly identify the selected destination, but to also choose anappropriate MTCU 15.

The message manager 82 also prompts the user to enter contactinformation such as how the user would like to be notified of animpending arrival of the selected MTCU 15 at the selected destination.In response, the user selects a notification medium or combinations ofmedia to be used to notify the user and supplies the necessaryinformation to enable communication of the notification. For example, ifthe user selects a telephone as a notification medium, then the userprovides a telephone number. In addition, if the user selects a computeras the notification medium, then the user provides a suitable addressfor the computer, such as an e-mail address or IP address. If the userselects a pager as the notification medium, then the user provides apager number. It should be apparent to one skilled in the art whenreading this disclosure that other types of notification media arepossible. After receiving the desired contact information from the user,the message manager 82 stores the contact information in the user datatable 68 b.

The message manager 82 also prompts the user to transmit travel datapreferences, which is information pertaining to when the user would liketo be notified. For example, the user can select to be notified acertain time before the selected MTCU 15 is to arrive at the selecteddestination. Also, the user can choose to be notified when the selectedMTCU 15 is within a certain distance of the destination, and the usercan choose to be notified when the selected MTCU 15 is a certain numberof deliveries or stops away from the destination.

Since the monitoring mechanism 69 should have access to the travel datapreferences in order to determine when a notification is appropriate,the message manager 82 preferably transmits the travel data preferencesto the monitoring mechanism 69 along with a unique identification numberthat identifies the user and a unique identification number identifyingthe selected MTCU 15. The unique identification number identifying theselected MTCU 15 can be the MT number entered by the user provided thatthe number entered by the user identifies the MTCU 15 to be monitored.In turn, the monitoring mechanism 69 stores this in database 94. Entriesassociated with a particular MTCU 15 can be related together in thedatabase 94. For example, each entry associated with a particular MTCU15 can be stored, and each of the entries can have a pointer pointing toanother one of the entries associated with the particular MTCU 15.Therefore, entries associated with a particular MTCU 15 can be easilylocated. Other methods known in the art for categorizing the entries andcorrelating the entries with a particular MT or with the travel data ofa particular MT are also possible.

Once the message manager 82 has received the desired contact informationand travel data preferences from the user, the communication between themessage manager 82 and the user can be terminated. The BS manager 41should now have sufficient information to monitor the selected MTCU 15.If the user wishes to change the contact information and/or the traveldata preferences, the user can reestablish communication with themessage manager 82. The message manager 82 preferably recognizes theuser requests as an update rather than an activation and prompts theuser to transmit the new information. In this regard, the messagemanager 82 can prompt the user for all of the desired contactinformation and/or preference data, similar to the activation session,and simply replace the previously stored contact information and/orpreference data, or the message manager 82 can prompt the user for onlythe information to be updated and then merely update the previouslystored information.

It should be noted that the information transferred between the user andthe message manager 82 can be interfaced with the message manager 82through a human operator during the activation session or update sessiondescribed hereinabove and during other sessions, which will be describedfurther hereinbelow. The human operator can prompt the user for certaininformation through a telephone call or other suitable medium ofcommunication and can enter the response of the user into the messagemanager 82.

4. Monitoring the MT

The monitoring mechanism 69 of FIGS. 5B and 5C, upon receiving traveldata from MTCU 15, stores the travel data (in the preferred embodiment,coordinate values) relating to the MTCU 15, in MT travel data table 68 eof database 94 that is configured to contain travel data and isassociated with the MTCU 15. After accessing an entry for storing traveldata, the monitoring mechanism 69 compares the current travel data(either received from the MTCU 15 or selected from a predetermined orassumed set of travel data, as described hereinabove) with the userpreferences stored in user data table 68 b in order to determine whethera notification should be sent to the user. Alternatively, the monitoringmechanism 69 can be configured to periodically poll each entry in the MTdata table 68 a and to compare the travel data corresponding to eachentry with the corresponding preference data in user data table 68 b todetermine which users should receive a notification.

In analyzing each entry, the monitoring mechanism 69 preferablysubtracts the current coordinate values in the accessed entry of theMTCU 15 with the coordinate values previously stored in travel data 68 ethat indicate the destination location selected by the user. If theresulting value is less than a predetermined value, then the monitoringmechanism 69 sends a notification command to message manager 82instructing the message manager 82 to notify the user of the impendingarrival of the MTCU 15. This predetermined value corresponds to thedistance that the MTCU 15 should be from the destination before anotification is sent to the user. Preferably, this predetermined valueis calculated from or is included in the preference data supplied by theuser during activation or during an update to the activation.

The monitoring mechanism 69 can also send the notification command tothe message manager 82 based on the estimated time the MTCU 15 is fromthe destination. After calculating the value indicating the distance ofthe MTCU 15 from the destination, the monitoring mechanism 69 canestimate how long it will take for the MTCU 15 to reach the destinationby assuming that the MTCU 15 can travel certain distances in a certainamount of time. In order to increase the accuracy of the notificationsystem 10, the monitoring mechanism 69 can vary the time for thedistances according to the type of traffic that is typically encounteredat the MT's location and route of travel. If traffic conditions areusually congested along the MTCU's route, then the monitoring mechanism69 can assume higher rates of time. Furthermore, if the travel dataindicates that the MTCU 15 has a number of MT stops prior to reachingthe destination, the monitoring mechanism 69 can factor in a delay timefor each stop depending on the type of the stop.

Once the monitoring mechanism 69 determines the MTCU's expected time ofarrival at the destination, the monitoring mechanism 69 can determinewhether the user should be notified based on this estimated time. If theestimated time is less than a predetermined value indicating the desiredestimated time of arrival chosen by the user, then the monitoringmechanism 69 sends the notification command to the message manager 82.

The message manager 82, in response to the notification command from themonitoring mechanism 69, retrieves the contact information from userdata table 68 b indicating how the user desires to be notified.Utilizing the contact information, the message manager 82 then sends amessage to the user at remote location. The monitoring mechanism 69preferably includes certain travel data in the notification command,such as the MTCU's location. Consequently, the message manager 82 isable to include this travel data with the message sent to the user. Forexample, the message may indicate that the MTCU 15 (and, therefore, thatthe MT attached to the MTCU 15) is a certain amount of time or distancefrom the destination or the message may indicate the MTCU's specificlocation, perhaps with reference to street names and/or street blocks.

If the contact information indicates that the user wishes to have mapdata sent to a computer at the remote location, the message manager 82sends a request for map data to monitoring mechanism 69. In response,the monitoring mechanism 69 sends to the mapping system 86 the necessarydata (e.g., the coordinates of the MTCU 15 and the destination) for themapping system 86 to transmit the appropriate mapping data. The mappingsystem 86 transmits the mapping data to message manager 82 which againutilizes the contact information retrieved from user data base 78 tocommunicate the mapping data to the appropriate PCD 75 at remotelocation. The PCD 75 then displays the mapping data in graphical form sothat the user can see the MT's location relative to the destinationwithin the map graphically displayed by the PCD 75.

The notification message sent to the user indicates the impendingarrival of the MTCU 15 at the destination previously selected by theuser. Accordingly, the user can prepare for the arrival of the MTCU 15knowing approximately how long it should take for the MTCU 15 to arriveat the destination.

Note that U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,060, which is incorporated herein byreference, describes a communication handler that can be implemented inor in connection with the manager 41 for enabling communication of alarge number of concurrent or substantially concurrent notificationcommunications (perhaps due to a large number of vehicles and/or users).

5. Requesting Travel Data

During the monitoring process described hereinabove, the user candiscover the status of the MTCU 15 or of the MT attached to the MTCU 15,on demand, by contacting the BS manager 41 and requesting informationpertaining to the travel data stored in the database 94. In this regard,the user establishes communication with the message manager 82 (FIG. 5B)via communications devices 72 and 73. The medium used for communicationcan be any suitable medium known in the art (e.g., telephone, e-mail,Internet, cellular phone, etc.). The preferred will be discussedhereinafter with the user establishing communication via telephone,although other media of communication are also suitable.

After the telephone connection is established, the message manager 82prompts the user with a series of recorded questions or options in orderto determine the user request. The user responds to these promptsthrough touch-tone signaling which is well known in current telephonycommunications systems. Initially, the message manager 82 prompts theuser to indicate whether the call is an activation, an update of anactivation, or a request for travel data. The user selects theappropriate touch-tone number to indicate that the user is requestingtravel data.

The message manager 82 receives and interprets the touch-tone signal todetermine that the user is requesting travel data. In response, themessage manager 82 prompts the user to transmit an identification numberof the MTCU 15 of concern for the user. This prompt can includeinformation to aide the user in selecting an MTCU 15. The user respondsby transmitting a series of touch-tone signals that indicate theidentification number or other unique data of the particular MTCU 15 ofconcern for the user. The message manager 82 receives and interprets thetouch-tone signals and determines which MTCU 15 is selected by the userbased on the received touch-tone signals.

The message manager 82 can then, if desired, prompt the user to indicatewhich travel data the user desires to know. For example, it is likelythat the user may want to know how far the MTCU 15 is from thedestination or how long it should take the MTCU 15 to arrive at thedestination. However, the user may want to know other information, suchas, but not limited to, how many MT stops the MTCU 15 encounters enroute or the type of MT that is en route, etc. The user responds withtouch-tone signals, as appropriate, to indicate what information theuser is requesting.

The message manager 82 then transmits a request for data to themonitoring mechanism 69. The request for data includes the uniqueidentification number used to identify the MTCU 15, as well as any otherinformation needed by the monitoring mechanism 69 to provide the desiredinformation. For example, the message manager 82 may also transmitinformation indicating that the user wishes to discover informationpertaining to the type of MT that is en route. The monitoring mechanism69, in turn, retrieves the desired travel data from the database 94.

After retrieving the desired travel data, the monitoring mechanism 69transmits the retrieved data to the message manager 82, whichcommunicates the data information to the user in a message transmittedto the user. The message can include the travel data retrieved by themonitoring mechanism 69 or can be formed to indicate the informationcontained by the travel data. For example, when communication is over atelephone connection, a recorded message can be formed by the messagemanager 82 indicating the distance the MTCU 15 is from the destinationbased on the travel data sent to the message manager 82. Whencommunication is via modem signals, travel data can be transmitted tothe user by the message device 82. In either case, the contents of themessage is based on the travel data retrieved by the monitoringmechanism 69. Since a communications line between the user and messagemanager 82 is already established in order for the user to make therequest for travel data, the message manager 82 preferably transmits thedata to the user over the established communication connection. When theuser desires to receive map data (indicated by the selection of anoption during the request for travel data or by the user preferencesstored in the database 94), the monitoring mechanism 69 transmits a mapgeneration command and travel data of the selected MTCU 15 to mappingsystem 86. Mapping system 86 then transmits graphical data to messagemanager 82.

Message manager 82 communicates the graphical data to PCD 75 which iscapable of generating a map display based on the graphical data. Inorder to communicate this data, the message manager 82 retrieves theuser contact information from the user data table 68 b. The contactinformation indicates the address (and/or other pertinent information)of the PCD 75 so that the message manager 82 knows where to transmit thegraphical data. By viewing the map display generated by the PCD 75, theuser can determine the location and estimated time of arrival of theMTCU 15. The map display preferably shows the intended route of travelby the MTCU 15 and any scheduled MT stops along the route.

Since the notification system 10 stores certain travel information inorder to monitor the travel of an MTCU 15 for providing an advancenotification of an impending arrival of an MTCU 15, the notificationsystem 10 can also provide an easy and low cost way for a user to accessinformation pertaining to the MTCU 15, on demand. Accordingly, the userdoes not have to wait for preselected preferences to be satisfied beforelearning of the MTCU's (and, therefore, the MT's) location and/orestimated time of arrival. The user can monitor the travel of the MTCU15 at any time by submitting a request for travel data and can,therefore, know the location and status of the MTCU 15 before receivingan advance notification signal that is based on comparisons between theMTCU's travel data and the user preselected preferences. As a result,the user can better prepare for an arrival of any particular MTCU 15 orMT attached to the MTCU 15 associated with the notification system 10.

It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that at least a portionof the functionality of the data manager 67 can be implemented by the MTmanager 29, if desired. In this regard, preference data and/or traveldata for the MTCU 15 can be stored in the computer system 31 a coupledto the MTCU 15. Accordingly, it is possible for the MT manager 29 todetermine when to transmit a notification to the user and to transmit anotification to the user via communication device 52 and 72. However,such an implementation can increase the complexity and cost of thenotification system 10 and is therefore generally not desirable.

L. Alternative Embodiment for Communications

U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,074, which is incorporated herein by reference,describes systems for enabling communications between mobile vehiclesand a remote computer, via standardized network communications links. Inone embodiment, the links include the Internet and a controller areanetwork used in vehicles. A TCP/IP stack is implemented in thecontroller. In another embodiment, each of the vehicles has an Internetaddress or designation associated with it.

The systems and methods described in this patent can be employed inconnection with a notification system 10 and can be implemented toaccomplish the many features described in this document.

M. Response Systems/Methods

Response systems (and methods) are provided for notification systems.Several nonlimiting exemplary embodiments of possible response systemswill be described in detail hereafter.

The architecture of one such embodiment, among others, is shown in FIG.6 and is generally denoted by reference numeral 100. Although notlimited to this particular implementation, this response system 100 isimplemented in the notification system 10 of FIG. 1.

1. Response System Feedback Analyzer

a. First Embodiment

The response system 100, particularly the response system feedbackanalyzer 100 a, can be configured to implement the followingmethodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 7A: causinginitiation of or monitoring a notification communication to a PCD 75associated with a party, as shown in block 101 of FIG. 7A; and duringthe notification communication, receiving a response from the party viathe party's PCD 75, indicating that the party associated with the PCD 75has received notice, as indicated by block 102 in FIG. 7A. The responsecan be produced by any system or method that verifies that any party orone or more specific parties received the notification communication.Some such systems and/or methods can accomplish this by verifying ordetecting the physical presence of such party(ies) at the PCD 75. Somesuch systems and/or methods can accomplish this by having thenotification-receiving party exercise a physical action that can beconverted to an electronic signal and communicated back to thenotification system 10.

Although not necessary for implementation, the foregoing methodology canbe implemented, and in the preferred embodiment is implemented, bysoftware associated with the message manager 82 (FIG. 5B), themonitoring mechanism 69 (FIG. 5B) and/or the data manager 67 (FIG. 5A)associated with the BS manager 41 (FIGS. 1 and 3). See response systemfeedback analyzer in FIGS. 1 and 3. The blocks of FIG. 7A essentiallyrepresent the high level architecture of such software, i.e., theresponse system feedback analyzer in FIGS. 1 and 3. Note, however, thatit is possible to have special purpose digital or analog hardwaredesigned to implement the same or similar methodology, and such hardwarecould be associated with the BSCU 40.

In this embodiment, the initiating step 101 is performed by thetransmitter 72 associated with the BSCU 40 (FIG. 1), under the controlof the response system feedback analyzer 100 a associated with the BSmanager 41. The notification communication passes through the network 55(FIG. 1) to the receiver 73 (FIG. 1) associated with the PCD 75.

The response from the notification-receiving party is first produced bya party associated with the PCD 75. The response is electronicallyrecognized by a response system feedback mechanism 100 b of the PCD 75.The response system feedback mechanism 100 b causes the transmitter 73(FIG. 1), also associated with the PCD 75, to communicate suitablefeedback data, which ultimately is communicated in some form to theresponse system feedback analyzer 100 a.

In one embodiment, among other possible embodiments, the PCD 75 is aconventional and commercially available touch-tone telephone, and theresponse can be accomplished by having the notification-receiving partydepress one or more appropriate keys on the keypad associated with thetelephone. In this embodiment, the response system feedback mechanism100 b is already built into the telephone, in the sense that there arealready on-board the phone, system components for recognizing keypadkeys that are depressed and for generating dual frequency tones that canbe carried across the communications medium. Also, the telephone isequipped with a transmitter 73 for communicating the dual frequencytones. In this embodiment, the BSCU 40 is equipped with a receiver 45(communicatively coupled to local interface 33 b of FIG. 3) forreceiving and decoding the dual frequency tone that results fromdepression of a telephone button. Such receivers/decoders 45 are wellknown in the art of telephony and are readily commercially available.For instance, the star (*) button could be assigned for indicating thatthe receiving party has in fact received the notification communication.Once the receiving party depresses this key and once the BS manager 41recognizes that it has been depressed by detecting this event, then theBS manager 41 can definitively conclude receipt of the notificationcommunication by the party associated with the PCD 75.

More than one key can be used to convey multiple instructions orindications from the notification-receiving party to the BS manager 41.The BS manager 41 can be equipped with an instruction lookup mechanism84, for example, a lookup table, database, or other mechanism foridentifying what each received key stroke means.

In some embodiments, more than one party may have access to the PCD 75,and it may be desirable to give each party their own personal code ofone or more keys, so that when a response is given by a party, the partycan enter his/her own personal code, and the BS manager 41 willtherefore be advised as to which party actually received thenotification.

In another embodiment, the PCD is a conventional telephone and the BSCU40 is equipped with voice recognition software. The receiving partyconfirms receipt of the notification communication with any suitablevoice command, for instance, “notification received.” Voice recognitionsystems (e.g., IVR) are well known in the art.

In another embodiment, when the PCD 75 is a computer, one or more keyson the keyboard, a mouse click on a button provided in a screen image,etc., can be assigned for indicating that the receiving party has infact received the notification communication. In this embodiment,software associated with the computer recognizes the key depression ormouse click and communicates occurrence of same back to the notificationsystem 10. The software can be a conventional web browser and thenotification communication could involve sending an HTML page (or othermarkup language) to the computer that can be operated upon by the webbrowser. An applet(s) associated with the HTML page can cause a windowto appear on the computer screen with a selectable button, for example,“Notification Received” and when selected by the mouse, the applet cancause the browser to return an HTML page from the computer back to thenotification system 10, which in this case would have a web server thatcan accept the HTML page response and analyze the content. As analternative, the response system 100 could be designed so that any inputfrom an input/output (I/O) peripheral device connected to thenotification-receiving party's computer could be recognized as aconfirmation of receipt by the party of the notification. Also, notethat the response can occur during the same communication session as thenotification or in a separate communication within a reasonable timeperiod.

Any response data, including confirmation of receipt of a notification,that is received by the response system feedback analyzer 100 a can bestored, if desired, with party contact records 86, as shown in FIG. 6,which can take the form of a table, database, etc.

It is also possible that the response system 100 and the response systemfeedback analyzer 100 a can be designed so that the party's responseindicates that the party associated with the PCD 75 is willing to acceptor refuses a task, or job, associated with the notification. The taskcan be virtually anything that is to be performed by the party. Forexample, in the context of a taxi service, a BSCU 40 could send anotification via a telephone to a taxicab, and a message could be playedover the telephone asking the party if another party can be picked up ata particular location within a prescribed time period. The partyassociated with the taxicab could send a response back to the BSCU 40,indicating either acceptance or refusal of the task, by actuating a keythat is coded to each of these responses. Note that U.S. Pat. No.5,945,919, which is entirely incorporated by reference, describes anautomated dispatch system, in which the response system 100 can beemployed.

As another example, consider a public bus transit system thatcommunicates bus arrival/departure information to a PCD 75 and wherein aparty can send a response indicating receipt of notice and indicatingthat the party will be a passenger on the bus. This information would behelpful with respect to bus scheduling.

It is also possible, in the context of a notification system 10 employedin connection with a service (e.g., cable installation, telephone lineinstallation, etc.) to be performed at a destination, that the responsesystem 100 and the response system feedback analyzer 100 a can bedesigned so that the party's response indicates that the partyassociated with the PCD 75 needs to have an additional service performedat the destination or that additional equipment will be needed at thedestination. As an example in the context of a telephone lineinstallation, the notified party could indicate that it wishes two linesto be installed instead of the one which was ordered, so that thetelephone service vehicle operator is notified in advance of therequisite additional service/equipment.

It is also possible, in the context of a notification system 10 employedin connection with a service to be performed at a destination, that awork order (of work to be performed at the stop location) iscommunicated to the PCD 75 during the notification communication.Furthermore, the notification message can indicate to the notified partyan option that can be selected by the notified party to connect with andcommunicate with the driver of a vehicle or a party at the BSCU 40 oranother location, in order to enable the notified party to discuss thecontent of the work order.

b. Second Embodiment

FIG. 7B is a flow chart illustrating another exemplary implementation ofa response system feedback analyzer of the present invention, which isoptionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3. In thisembodiment, a notified party can cause a connection to be made with arepresentative that knows the particulars of or that can access theparticulars of a pickup or delivery of an item or service in connectionwith a stop location.

In this embodiment, the response system 100, particularly the responsesystem feedback analyzer 100 a, can be configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 7B:monitoring travel data in connection with an MT 17 that is destined topickup or deliver (an item or service) at a stop location, as indicatedat block 105; causing initiation of a notification communication to aPCD 75 based upon the travel data (e.g., when the MT 17 is in closeproximity, has just departed a prior stop location, etc.), as indicatedat block 106; and during the notification communication, enabling aparty associated with the PCD 75 to select whether or not tocommunicate, for example, via voice by way of a telephone or via text byway of a computer network link, with a party having access toparticulars of the pickup or delivery, as indicated at block 107, sothat a discussion can be had regarding the particulars of the pickup ordelivery.

In some embodiments, where there is a BSCU 40 associated with thenotification system 10, the BS manager 41 causes communicative couplingbetween the PCD 75 of the party and a communications device associatedwith the party having access to particulars of the pickup or delivery.The latter could be located at a call center, at a place that is localto the BSCU 40, etc.

In some embodiments, where there is a BSCU 40 associated with thenotification system 10, the BS manager 41 causes communicative couplingbetween the PCD 75 of the party and a PCD 75 associated with the MT 17or person in the MT 17.

A message can be provided during the notification communication thatincludes a work order or description of the reason why the stop is beingmade. This can be very useful in connection with, for example, servicesto be performed at the stop location. The party being called cancommunicate with somebody associated with the pickup/delivery service tocorrect information that is in error on the work order, add additionaltasks to the work order, delete tasks on the work order, etc.

As a further option, the BS manager 41 can be designed to enable theparty to select an option that indicates to the notification system 10that the work order is proper. For instance, a voice recording over atelephone link may say “Hit the pound key if the work order is accurateor hit the star key to talk with a representative.” Selection of thepound key would confirm to the BS manager 41 the order and the MT 17would travel to the stop location, as scheduled, and perform therequisite pickup/delivery task. Selection of the star key would causethe BS manager 41 to connect the notified PCD 75 with a communicationsdevice of a party having access to particulars of the pickup ordelivery.

c. Third Embodiment

FIG. 7C is a flow chart illustrating yet another exemplaryimplementation of a response system feedback analyzer of the presentinvention, which is optionally implemented as at least part of thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1and 3. A response from a notified party is used to change one or moretasks associated with a pickup or delivery of an item or serviceassociated with a stop location.

In this embodiment, the response system 100, particularly the responsesystem feedback analyzer 100 a, can be configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 7C:monitoring travel data in connection with a MT 17 that is destined topickup or deliver an item or service at a stop location, as indicated atblock 108; causing initiation of a notification communication (which mayinclude a message indicating one or more tasks to be accomplished at thestop location) to a personal communications device based upon the traveldata, as indicated at block 109; and during the notificationcommunication, enabling a party associated with the personalcommunications device to change one or more tasks associated with thepickup or delivery, as indicated at block 110.

The tasks can be stored in and changed within database 94 (FIG. 5A),particularly in tasks table 68 m. The BS manager 41 can be designed tochange any of the tasks, based upon one or more inputs from the notifiedparty. A set of options can be provided by the BS manager 41 to thenotified party, for example, via IVR, text, screen prompts, orotherwise, and the party can select one or more of the options. Possibleoptions are as follows: an option that indicates that the one or moretasks are proper or confirmed (so go ahead and follow through with thescheduled pickup or delivery; an option that enables the party to changethe one or more tasks or scope thereof; an option to enable adding atask; or an option to enable deletion of a task.

This embodiment has numerous applications. One nonlimiting example(e.g., pizza delivery, package delivery, etc.) involves indicating in amessage associated with the notification communication the amount of abill and enabling the notified party to confirm the amount and/or theintention to pay the amount when the MT 17 reaches the stop location forthe pickup or delivery. In some embodiments, the system can beconfigured so that the notified party can make payment during thenotification communication session. The BSCU 40 can be designed toprompt the notified party to enter a credit card number to be used topay the bill. The card number can also be stored in user preferences andretrieved by the manager 41 pursuant to an appropriate prompt from thenotified party during the notification communication session.

As another nonlimiting example of such an application, consider aconfiguration where a service, such as a telephone installation, isbeing provided at the stop location. Furthermore, assume that there is awork order for installation of a single telephone line. An advertisement(from table 68 f of database 94 of FIG. 5A) could be provided to thenotified party during the notification communication that indicates thata second line can be installed for half the price of the first line andfor half of the monthly subscription fee. An option to select ordeselect the second line installation can be provided to the notifiedparty. Accordingly, the notified party has the ability to add or changethe tasks to be performed at the stop location.

This idea can be applied to other contexts: changing the number of goods(e.g., groceries, etc.) to be delivered or picked up; changing thenumber of rooms to be carpet cleaned, changing the level of service(each having a different price), etc.

d. Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 7C is a flow chart illustrating still another exemplaryimplementation of a response system feedback analyzer 100 a, which isoptionally implemented as at least part of the architecture,functionality, and operation of the BS manager of FIGS. 1 and 3. Inessence, a response from a notified party is used to select one of aplurality of times for a pickup or delivery of an item or service tooccur at a stop location.

In this embodiment, the response system 100, particularly the responsesystem feedback analyzer 100 a, can be configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 7D:directly or indirectly monitoring travel or travel data in connectionwith one or more MTs 17 in order to track them, as indicated at block114; initiating or engaging in a notification communication session witha PCD 75, when appropriate, based upon impending arrival or departure ofone or more MTs 17 in relation to a location as indicated at block 115;during the notification communication session, providing a plurality ofarrival and/or departure times in relation to the location and enablingselection of at least one of the times (directly or indirectly; theselection can be of an item that is associated in some way with the timeso that the selection is essentially indirect), as indicated at block116; and causing an MT 17 to arrive at or depart from the location atsubstantially the selected time, as indicated at block 117.

As for step 114, the arrival or departure times associated with MTs 17can be stored and updated in database 94 (FIG. 5A), particularly in MTtravel data table 68 e. One or a plurality of MTs 17 can be monitored bythe BS manager 41 for purposes of carrying out this embodiment.

With respect to step 115, the notification communication session can beinitiated by the BS manager 41 based upon user or system definedpreferences stored in database 94 (FIG. 5A). User and system definedpreferences have been described elsewhere in this document. Thepredefined preferences may include, for instance, (a) a proximity to thelocation or (b) a designated location or region that is near thelocation at issue and that when encountered by one or more MTs 17, willresult in the communication session.

The arrival or departure times of the one or more MTs 17 in relation tothe location may be determined, at least in part based upon actualtravel status information of the MTs 17 or at least in part based uponexisting scheduling of the MTs 17 (which may or may not be updated).

As an example of a mechanism for triggering a notification in accordancewith step 115, the user may indicate that the user would like to receivea notification when a pickup vehicle is one hour from arriving at aparticular stop location. The BS manager 41 may determine, based uponthe monitoring of travel data, that a particular vehicle 17 can arrivein one hour or, if a stop is skipped by such vehicle 17, then thevehicle 17 can arrive in 35 minutes instead of one hour. The BS manager41 can be designed to initiate the notification communication underthese circumstances and provide the different options during thenotification communication, one of which can be selected by the notifiedparty.

Thus, as can be seen from the aforementioned example, during thecommunication session, first and second times may be offered thatcorresponds substantially with a scheduled time and a sooner time.Moreover, different fees may be charged for selection of the differenttimes. Or, a fee may be charged for selection of the sooner time.

As another example of a mechanism for triggering a notification inaccordance with step 115, the user may indicate via user preferencesthat the user would like to receive a notification when a vehicle is onehour from departing from a location. The BS manager 41 may determine,based upon the monitoring of travel data, that two different vehiclesare available, one departing in 15 minutes and the other departing inone hour. The BS manager 41 can be designed to initiate the notificationcommunication under these circumstances to provide the two differentoptions, one of which can be selected by the notified party.

With respect to step 116, the BS manager 41 can be easily designed toprovide options to the notified party and to receive selections duringthe notification communication session. The set of options can beprovided by the BS manager 41 to the notified party, for example, viavoice recording, IVR, text, screen prompts, or otherwise, communicatedto the notified PCD 75. The notified party can select one or more of theoptions on the notified PCD 75 via, for example, IVR, entering text,pressing touch pad keys to send a DTMF signal that means something tothe BS manager 41, selecting a screen prompt via a mouse or touchscreen, selecting a link on an HTML screen communicated by the BSmanager 41 or a source controlled by or affiliated with the BS manager41, etc.

In the case of a plurality of monitored MTs 17, a number of times can beprovided to correspond respectively with the MTs 17. Furthermore, thenotified party can select one of the plurality of times for an MT 17 toarrive at or depart from the location, which will identify to the BSmanager 41 which one of the MTs 17 should be caused to arrive at ordepart from the location.

With respect to step 117, the BS manager 41 can cause, directly orindirectly, an MT 17 to arrive at or depart from the location at theselected time by any of a variety of possible systems and/or methods.One method involves having the selected time communicated to a PCD 75associated with the appropriate MT 17 so that the operator of theappropriate MT 17 knows of the scheduled arrival or delivery at thelocation and can make it happen. In alternative embodiments, the steps114-117 are performed in a PCD 75 associated with a tracked MT 17, inwhich case the operator will be advised of the scheduled arrival ordelivery at the location and can make it happen.

Another method in which the BS manager 41 can cause the MT 17 to arriveat or depart from the location at the selected time, in a case where theMT 17 can be remotely controlled, would be to communicate appropriatedata or control signals to the MT 17.

This embodiment has numerous applications, but are not all listed herefor simplicity.

e. Fifth Embodiment

Another embodiment of a response system feedback analyzer 100 a, amongothers, is shown in FIG. 8. This embodiment envisions more than onenotification communication, perhaps regular notifications, occurringbetween the notification system and a party, and enabling a party toinfluence how future notification communications are to occur, after thefirst one. This response system feedback analyzer 100 a can besummarized by the following steps: initiating a first notificationcommunication to a PCD associated with a party, as indicated by block111 in FIG. 8; receiving a response communication from the party's PCD,as indicated by block 112 in FIG. 8; and modifying the manner in whichfuture notification communications are to be sent to the party, basedupon the response, as indicated by block 113 in FIG. 8. Although notnecessary for implementation, the foregoing methodology can beimplemented, and in the preferred embodiment is implemented, by softwareassociated with the BS manager 41. The blocks of FIG. 7 would representthe high level architecture of such software. Note, however, that it ispossible to have special purpose digital or analog hardware designed toimplement the methodology. Such hardware can be easily associated withthe BSCU 40.

In this embodiment, the initiating step 111 is performed by thetransmitter 72 associated with the BSCU 40 (FIG. 1), under the controlof the response system feedback analyzer 100 a of the BS manager 41. Thenotification communication passes through the network 55 (FIG. 1) to thereceiver 73 (FIG. 1) associated with the PCD 75.

The response from the receiving party is communicated by the transmitter73 (FIG. 1), under the control of the response system feedback mechanism100 b associated with the PCD 75 that is associated with the receivingparty. In one embodiment, the PCD 75 is a conventional touch-tonetelephone, and the response can be accomplished by having the receivingparty depress one or more appropriate keys on the keypad of thetelephone 75 to communicate one or more instructions. In thisembodiment, the BSCU 40 is equipped with a receiver (communicativelycoupled to local interface 33 b of FIG. 3) for receiving and decodingthe dual frequency tone that results from depression of a telephonebutton. For instance, the star (*) button could be assigned forindicating an instruction from the receiving party. Once the receivingparty depresses this key and once the response system feedback analyzer100 a of the BS manager 41 recognizes that it has been depressed bydetecting this event (with receiver 72 under the control of the BSmanager 41), then the response system feedback analyzer 100 a of the BSmanager 41 can act upon the instruction.

As mentioned previously, more than one key can be used in order toconvey one or more instructions from the notification-receiving party tothe notification system 10. Furthermore, the PCD 75 could also be acomputer or any of the other devices that have been mentioned, orequivalents thereof.

As indicated at block 113 in FIG. 8, the response system feedbackanalyzer 100 a of the BS manager 41 modifies the manner in which futurenotification communications are to be sent, based upon the response orcontent in the response, by manipulating data stored in connection withthe notification-receiving party contact records 86 (FIG. 6). Theresponse system feedback analyzer 100 a of the BS manager 41 can beconfigured to modify the manner in which future notificationcommunications are to be sent in a number of possible ways.

In one embodiment, among many possible embodiments, when the responsesystem feedback analyzer 100 a is implemented in software, it isdesigned to maintain one or more records pertaining to one or moreparties and one or more communication methods associated with eachparty. Any suitable table or database can be maintained to store thisinformation, if desired. In this embodiment, this data is stored inparty contacts records 86 (FIG. 6). At this step in the process, afterreceiving the response from the notification-receiving party, theresponse system feedback analyzer 100 a associated with the BS manager41 modifies these records, based upon the notification-receiving party'sinstructions in the response, to store/create modified contact data, inorder to affect changes in the manner in which future notificationcommunications are communicated.

By its instructions, the notification-receiving party can, among otherthings, change the party(ies) to which notification communications aresent in the future, change the MT(s) that is monitored by thenotification system 10, change the proximity parameter that provokes anotification communication, change the MT stop location that is used bythe notification system 10 to provoke a notification communication,change the notification communication method and/or PCD, change anotification communication to a later time based upon a time of day ortime period, cancel initiation of one or more scheduled futurenotification communications, etc.

FIGS. 9A through 9C illustrate, pictorially, notable nonlimitingexamples of ways in which the response system feedback analyzer 100 a ofthe BS manager 41 can cause the notification system 10 to modify themanner in which future notification communications are communicated bythe notification system 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 9A, the response system feedback analyzer 100 aassociated with the BS manager 41 may be designed to cause thenotification system 10 to modify contact data after receiving theresponse, as indicated in block 121, and to cause the notificationsystem 10 to initiate one or more other future notificationcommunications in accordance with, or based upon, the modified contactdata resulting from the notification-receiving party's response, asindicated in block 122.

For example, the response system feedback analyzer 100 a associated withthe BS manager 41 can be configured to cause the notification system 10to wait a time period before sending another communication to thereceiving party. The time period may be predefined or maybe bedynamically programmable. The receiving party may define the time periodin his/her response, for example, by selecting an appropriate keypad orkeyboard button in the case of a telephone or computer, respectively.The instruction may indicate to the response system feedback analyzer100 a associated with the BS manager 41 that the notification-receivingparty cannot handle any further notifications for a predetermined timeperiod, such as 50 minutes, because the party now attends to a task(e.g., unloading or loading an item from an MT) resulting from the firstnotification. The task may even be identified in thenotification-receiving party's response. Accordingly, thenotification-receiving party can influence how the BS manager 41 handlesfuture notifications to the particular party.

As another example, the response system feedback analyzer 100 aassociated with the BS manager 41 can be configured to cause thenotification system 10 to wait for the MT 17 to move a prescribeddistance or come within a predetermined proximity of a location beforesending another communication to the notification-receiving party.

As another example, the response system 100 and the response systemfeedback analyzer 100 a may be designed to enable thenotification-receiving party to advise the response system feedbackanalyzer 100 a to communicate one or more future notifications to one ormore different parties that have assigned devices 75, in addition to thenotification receiving party or instead of same.

As another example, the response system 100 and the response systemfeedback analyzer 100 a may be designed so that the response mayindicate to the response system feedback analyzer 100 a associated withthe BS manager 41 that the notification-receiving party will be changinglocations. Therefore, the BS manager 41 should contact a different PCD75 in connection with future notifications that is situated where theparty will be in the future, for example but not limited to, a differenttelephone in a different facility.

As another example, the response system 100 and the response systemfeedback analyzer 100 a may be designed so that an instruction may beused to advise the notification system 10 that thenotification-receiving party would like to receive a status message infuture notification communications, indicating the status of travel ofthe MT 17. For example, in future notifications, the status message mayindicate the location of the MT 17 or the proximity (distance and/ortime) of the MT 17 with respect to a location.

As another example, the response system 100 and the response systemfeedback analyzer 100 a may be designed so that an instruction may beused to advise the notification system 10 that thenotification-receiving party would like to receive directions to a siteassociated with the notification or an advertisement played during thenotification. In this embodiment, the BSCU 40 can be communicativelycoupled to suitable map software. To further illustrate this concept, acouple of specific examples are described hereafter.

As a first example consider a scenario where a telephone message advisesa taxicab driver to: “Pick up at 325 East Broad Street. Confirm bypressing pound. If you need directions, press the star key.” The systemcould be configured so that the response system feedback analyzer 100 arecognizes the # key as a confirmation that the driver has in factreceived the notification and recognizes the * key as a desire toreceive directions. In this case, the response system feedback analyzer100 a would access direction information from the map software andforward the direction information, or a part thereof, to the driver,during the original notification communication or in a subsequentcommunication.

As a second example consider a scenario where a message sent to acomputer advises a person that: “Your UPS package has arrived and isready to be picked up at 325 East Broad Street. Confirm by pressing theone key. Pizza Hut is next door, and if you press the two key now, youwill receive a free beverage.” The system could be configured so thatthe response system feedback analyzer 100 a recognizes depression of the1 key as a confirmation that the person has in fact received thenotification and recognizes depression of the 2 key as a desire toreceive the discount. In this case, the response system feedbackanalyzer 100 a could be designed to subsequently send a couponelectronically to the person via the computer, which could then beprinted and taken by the person to the Pizza Hut to receive thediscount.

As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the response system feedback analyzer 100 aassociated with the BS manager 41 may be designed to cause thenotification system 10 to modify contact data, as indicated in block131, to refrain from sending notification communications to the party'sPCD 75 after receiving a response, as denoted in block 132, and toinitiate one or more other future notification communications to theparty and/or one or more other parties, using one or more differentcommunication methods, based upon the modified contact data, as denotedin block 133. The communication methods, may include for example, butnot limited to, contacting the same or a different cellular or land-linetelephone, sending an internet email, sending a wireless text message toa PDA, sending a navigation screen to a computer, sending a notificationsignal and/or message to a television (TV) or computer via a cable modemor satellite modem, sending a notification signal and/or message viatelex, communicating a message via radio transceiver, etc.

As a specific example of the overall process, the receiving party mayindicate in the response that any future communications should beforwarded to a different communications PCD 75. For example, in the caseof a touch-tone telephone, the “#” button may be assigned to indicatethat the party has in fact received the notification, and the “5” buttoncould be assigned to the function of indicating that the communicationmethod is to be changed. Furthermore, having the party depress the “2”key after depression of # and 5, could be used to advise the BS manager41 that communication method 2, corresponding to a computer, should beused in the future.

As a further option, the response system 100 and the response systemfeedback analyzer 100 a can be designed to enable a party to definetimes (times of day, days of the week, etc.) for use of each futurecommunications method or PCD 75.

As illustrated in FIG. 9C, the response system feedback analyzer 100 aassociated with the BS manager 41 may be designed to cause thenotification system 10 to modify contact data, as indicated at block141, to refrain from sending notification communications to the party'sPCD 75 after receiving a response, until the detection of one or moreevents, as indicated in block 142, and then to monitor for occurrence ofthe one or more events, as indicated in block 143, and then to cause thenotification system 10 to initiate one or more other future notificationcommunications to the party and/or one or more other parties, using oneor more communication methods, as denoted at block 144. The one or moreevents can include, for example but not limited to, detection that theMT 17 is about to arrive at, is at, and has left a particular locationor has moved a prescribed distance, manual or automatic actuation of aswitch on the MT 17 or at a location where the MT 17 visits, a certaintime of the day has been achieved, a time period has lapsed since thelast notification communication, cancellation of a package delivery orpickup, cancellation of an expected stop of an MT 17 at a stop location,delay of an expected stop of an MT 17 at a stop location, anothercommunication from the party indicating that future notifications arewelcome, etc. Detection may occur by actually monitoring travel of theMT 17 or by reviewing data corresponding with travel.

2. Response System Feedback Mechanism

FIG. 10 shows the high level steps taken by the PCD 75 in connectionwith the foregoing embodiments of the response system feedback analyzer100 a. Some devices 75 may already be configured with the appropriatefunctionality, while others may need to be configured to exhibit thefunctionality and operate as shown in FIG. 10. For example, in the casewhere a conventional touch-tone telephone is to be used as the PCD 75and where dual-frequency key stroke tones are to be used to conveyinstructions to the BSCU 40, the telephone already has the requisitefunctionality to perform the steps illustrated in FIG. 10.

First, the PCD 75 receives the notification communication from the BSCU40, as denoted by block 151 in FIG. 10. Accordingly, the partyassociated with the PCD 75 is given a notification with respect to theMT, e.g., the mobile MT 17.

Next, the PCD 75 receives an input response, e.g., depression of one ormore keys, a voice command, swiping of a magnetic strip of a cardthrough a card reader, etc., from the party associated with the PCD 75,as indicated at block 152 of FIG. 10. The input from the party to thePCD 75 can be manually or automatically accomplished, but it isdesirable to implement a mechanism that shows that the party that issupposed to be associated with the PCD 75 has received the notificationcommunication by way of the PCD 75.

For security, it may be desirable to have the notification-receivingparty identified (perhaps even uniquely identified) as one who isauthorized or permitted to send a response. For instance, a fingerprintscanner, a retina scanner, and/or key insertion authentication couldpotentially be employed to verify the appropriateness of the party toproduce a response.

Finally, as denoted at block 153 of FIG. 10, the PCD 75 communicates theparty's response to the notification system, or in this example, theBSCU 40. The response may confirm receipt of the notification, mayindicate to the BSCU 40 that the notified party would like to have adiscussion (oral, text, or otherwise) with somebody who has access tothe particulars of the pickup/delivery, may enable the notified party tochange one or more tasks (or scope thereof) associated with the pickupor delivery, and/or may indicate the manner in which future notificationcommunications should be communicated to the party, as will be furtherdescribed below.

N. Response Failure States

The notification system 10, such as the manager 41 of the BSCU 40, canbe designed to implement failure states in connection with a request fora response. A failure state occurs when a state of a variable has beenreached without receiving a response back from a notified party or PCD75. Internally, a failure state causes the system 10 to terminatenotification communication attempts and/or to take one or more actionsto accommodate the failure to receive a response. A failure state canalso be shown on a screen or otherwise indicated to the operator of aPCD 75 (see FIGS. 25A through 25D; the one being tracked and/or the onebeing notified). A failure state can be system-defined or user-defined,and can be stored in user data table 68 b (FIG. 5A) and/or failure statedata table 681 (FIG. 5A).

A set of nonlimiting examples of failure state variables are as follows:(a) a time period variable (FIG. 25A) pertaining to the amount of timethat has elapsed since invocation of the notification; when the timeperiod variable has expired, it triggers a failure state in the PCD 75k; (b) a distance variable pertaining to the distance traveled by thetracked PCD 75 k (FIG. 25B) since invocation of the notification; whenthe PCD 75 k has traversed a prescribed distance that is monitored withthe distance variable, then a failure state can be invoked in themoving/tracked PCD 75 k; (c) a predetermined location variable (FIG.25C) pertaining to a location to be traversed by the moving/tracked PCD75 k; in other words, once the PCD 75 k determines that it has reachedthis predetermined location, then a failure state will result; and (d)an acceptance variable (FIG. 25D) which tracks the number of responsesand/or acceptances associated with notification communications; this isuseful in a configuration where a number of parties have been invited tovisit a particular location (e.g., a restaurant), and there are only alimited number of openings; as an example, the system can be set toaccept the first party to respond to the notification and invoke afailure state in connection with all other notifications (which can becommunicated, if desired, to the other PCDs 75 that responded late).

Once a failure state has been determined by the manager 41, the manager41 may be designed to implement one or more of the following actions:look for additional instructions to notify the next person on a contactor route list, try different contact information for the sameindividual, or utilize this information to re-route drivers to anotherdestination; automatically notify another user of this failure stateevent; and/or automatically notify third party companies providingadditional services, such as but not limited to, transportationservices, that there has been a notification failure.

O. Advertisement Methods of Doing Business in Connection withNotification Services

Various advertisement methods of doing business can be implemented inconnection with the notification services, for example, those describedhereinbefore.

One such advertisement method of doing business, among others, isillustrated in FIG. 11 and can be broadly summarized by the followingsteps (not necessarily in this order): (a) monitoring travel dataassociated with an MT 17, as indicated by reference numeral 161; (b)contacting a party based upon the travel data, as indicated by referencenumeral 162; (c) providing an advertisement to the party substantiallyduring the contact, as indicated by reference numeral 163; and (d)charging a fee or monetarily benefiting from providing theadvertisement, as indicated by reference numeral 164. There are variousalternatives and optional steps that may be practiced in connection withthis method. For example, the fee may be charged for each advertisementin each notification, for a block of advertisements, or for theadvertisement service in general. As yet another example, a discount onthe advertisement service may be offered or extended based upon apurchase of a predetermined number.

An advertisement database 68 f (FIG. 5A) can be disposed within the BSmanager 41 or communicatively coupled to same to enable the manager 41to initiate an advertisement at an appropriate time during acommunication with a PCD 75. The advertisement can be conveyed by voicecommunication, by text communication, by visual presentation on a screen(e.g., an email with an accompanying advertisement, etc.), or by othermeans.

Another advertisement method of doing business, among others, isillustrated in FIG. 12 and can be broadly summarized by the followingsteps (not necessarily in this order): (a) enabling a party to indicatea willingness to receive one or more advertisements during anotification regarding an MT 17, as indicated by reference numeral 171;(b) providing a notification communication involving travel status ofthe MT 17, as indicated by reference numeral 172; (c) providing anadvertisement as part of or accompanying the notification communication,as indicated by reference numeral 173; and (d) charging a fee for ormonetarily benefiting from providing the advertisement, as indicated byreference numeral 174. There are various alternatives and optional stepsthat may be practiced in connection with this method. For example, thefee may be charged for each advertisement in each notification, for ablock of advertisements, or for the advertisement service in general. Asyet another example, a discount on the advertisement service may beoffered or extended based upon a purchase of a predetermined number.

Yet another advertisement method of doing business, among others, isillustrated in FIG. 13 and can be broadly summarized by the followingsteps (not necessarily in this order): (a) enabling a party to indicatea willingness to receive one or more advertisements during anotification regarding an MT 17, as indicated by reference numeral 181;(b) providing a notification communication involving travel status ofthe MT 17, as indicated by reference numeral 182; (c) charging a fee ormonetarily benefiting from providing the notification communication, asindicated by reference numeral 183; (d) providing an advertisement aspart of or accompanying the notification communication, as indicated byreference numeral 184; (e) charging a fee for or monetarily benefitingfrom providing the advertisement, as indicated by reference numeral 185;and (f) providing a discount based upon the party's willingness toreceive the one or more advertisements, as indicated by referencenumeral 186. There are various alternatives and optional steps that maybe practiced in connection with this method. For example, the fee may becharged for each advertisement in each notification, for a block ofadvertisements, or for the advertisement service in general. As yetanother example, a discount on the advertisement service may be offeredor extended based upon a purchase of a predetermined number.

In alternative embodiments, the stop location of the MT 17 and/or thelocation of the user and/or PCD 75 can be determined and taken intoaccount with respect to advertisements. See next section for adiscussion of the location determination of the user, PCD 75, and/orstop location. With this location information, the advertisements can beselected based upon the geographical location of the user, PCD 75,and/or stop location. As an example, advertisements can be sorted in adatabase based upon the geographical areas to which they pertain. Then,if it is determined that the PCD 75 or that the stop location is nearthe intersection of First Street and 10th Street, then the advertisementdatabase can be accessed for those advertisements that pertain to thevicinity around First Street and 10^(th) Street. For instance, thedatabase might include an advertisement about Pizza Hut, and there mightbe a Pizza Hut that is located one block from this intersection. In thiscase, the manager 14 may be designed to select the Pizza Hutadvertisement and communicate this to the PCD 75 because the PCD 75 isin close proximity to the Pizza Hut that is at issue. Also, the systemmay be designed to forward directions to the Pizza Hut to the PCD 75before, during, or after the advertisement is effectuated at the PCD 75.

In alternative embodiments, the timing of the notification communicationmay be taken into account when advertisements are selected from adatabase for communication to the PCD 75. For example, the hours when astore is open may be tracked in the advertisement database. Further,when a notification communication is initiated, it may be desirable torefrain from communicating those advertisements that pertain to storesthat are closed at the time of the notification communication. In thiscase, the manager 41 could be designed to prevent such advertisements tooccur during prescribed time periods. Moreover, the converse could bedesigned into the system, i.e., the system could be designed so thatadvertisements pertaining to those stores that are known to be open atthe time of the notification communication are communicated to the PCD75.

In alternative embodiments, information regarding anotification-receiving party, for example, a personal profile in userdata table 68 b indicating interests, activities, historic informationregarding prior purchases, traveling, etc., may be stored in memory andused to make decisions regarding which advertisements to communicate tothe PCD 75.

In alternative embodiments, discount awards can be communicated to thenotification-receiving party. For example, an image of a discount couponcould be forwarded to the PCD 75 that has a screen, which can be printedor shown by the user to the business establishment to which it pertains,in order to obtain the discount. As another example, a discount code canbe forwarded to the PCD 75 via voice or text, which can be communicatedby the user to the business establishment to which it pertains, in orderto obtain the discount. The discount code can be predefined by thebusiness establishment and communicated to the notification system 10,which can store it in the memory 30 b, such as in association withadvertisement data table 68 f.

In alternative embodiments, the waiting times associated with retailestablishments, for example but not limited to, restaurants, aremonitored with periodic communications between a PCD 75 associated withsuch retail establishments and the BS manager 41. Furthermore, thesewaiting times can be communicated with advertisements involving suchretail establishments to the notified PCD 75.

P. Stop Location Determination Systems and Methods Based Upon Userand/or Device Location Feedback

Stop location determination systems (and methods) 190 that utilize userand/or device location feedback can be implemented in connection withthe notification systems, for example, those described hereinbefore.Several nonlimiting exemplary embodiments of possible stop locationdetermination systems (and methods) 190 will be described in detailhereafter. Although not limited to this application, such stop locationdetermination systems 190 are particularly useful in connection withtransportable PCDs that are carried with a mobile person, as will beclear from the discussion hereafter.

1. First Embodiment

The architecture of one such embodiment, among others, is shown in FIG.14A and is generally denoted by reference numeral 190 a. Although notlimited to this particular configuration, in this embodiment, the stoplocation determination system 190 a is implemented in the notificationsystem 10 of FIGS. 1 and 3, particularly the BS manager 41. The stoplocation determination system 190 a, can be configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 14:monitoring travel data associated with an MT 17, as indicated at block191; causing the notification system 10 to communicate a notificationinvolving a delivery or pickup task associated with the MT 17 to a PCD75 associated with a party, as indicated at block 192; receivinglocation data from the PCD 75 (ultimately from the device user, deviceitself, and/or another source), as indicated at block 193; determiningone or more stop locations, based upon the device location data and thetravel data associated with the MT 17, as indicated at block 194; andcausing the notification system 10 to communicate an identification ofthe one or more stop locations to the PCD 75 so that the delivery orpickup task can be accomplished at the determined stop location, asindicated at block 195. Note that these steps can occur as part of thesame communication session or link or in more than one communicationtransaction.

Although not necessary for implementation, the foregoing methodology canbe implemented, and in the preferred embodiment is implemented, bysoftware associated with the data manager 67, such as the monitoringmechanism 69, of the BS manager 41. See stop location determinationsystem 190 in FIGS. 1 and 3. The blocks of FIG. 14 essentially representthe high level architecture of such software. Note, however, that it ispossible to have special purpose digital or analog hardware designed toimplement the same or similar methodology, and such hardware could beassociated with the BSCU 40.

In this embodiment 190 a, the BS manager 41 monitors travel of the MT17, as previously described, and stores such information in the database94. As mentioned, the database 94 can employ an MT travel data table 68e for storing such information, along with other fields that relate suchinformation to other data in the same table-68 and in other tables 68.The tracking can be based upon timing, distance, and/or locationinformation.

The transmitter 72 associated with the BSCU 40 (FIG. 1), under thecontrol of the BS manager 41, communicates the notificationcommunication. The notification communication passes through the network55 (FIG. 1) to the receiver 73 (FIG. 1) associated with the PCD 75. TheBS manager 41 can be designed to cause initiation of the notificationcommunication when the MT 17 is an acceptable proximity, perhaps apredetermined proximity or system-defined or user-defined proximity,with respect to one or more stop locations, or has just passed one ormore stop locations.

As another alternative, the BS manager 41 can be designed to causeinitiation of the notification communication when the MT 17 has alreadytraveled a predefined time period or distance along a predefined route.

As another alternative, the BS manager 41 can be designed to initiate afirst notification in order to sense the current location of the PCD 75,make a selection of the stop location(s) (and perhaps notify the user ofthe identity of the stop location(s) during this first notification),and then provide a second notification communication at a later time,when the MT 17 is an acceptable proximity to the stop location (andperhaps notify the user, again or for the first time, of the identity ofthe stop location(s) during the second notification communication).

The location data identifying the location of the PCD 75 is stored inthe database 94, which as mentioned can contain a PCD data table 68 gfor storing this information.

The location data identifying the location of the PCD 75 can begenerated by a physical action taken by the party associated with thePCD 75 or can be generated automatically by the PCD 75 itself or byother remote sensing means. As an example of a physical action, theparty could be prompted (e.g., by voice recording) by the BS manager 41to enter a digit on a telephone to indicate a geographical area. Forinstance, the voice recording could say, “Press one if you are locatedin northwest Atlanta, press two for northeast Atlanta, press three forsouthwest Atlanta, and press four for southeast Atlanta.” Obviously,many other encoding schemes are possible. In this example, once theparty presses one of these telephone buttons, the BS manager 41 via adual frequency tone decoder is able to determine the location of theparty and PCD 75.

For automatic generation of location data, a location sensor 80 can beassociated with the PCD 75 to determine or communicate location data tothe BS manager 41 via transmitter 73, network 55, and receiver 72.Although not limited to this configuration, in the preferred embodiment,the location sensor 80 includes a GPS receiver that receives GPS signalsfrom GPS satellites. In at least one configuration, the PCD 75 is acellular or personal communication system (PCS) device and the network55 is a cellular network and has computer-based support functionalityand processing for receiving location signals from the GPS receiver andcommunicating location information to the BS manager 41. Examples ofsuch systems are described in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos.6,360,101; 6,519,466; 6,453,237; and 5,479,482, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In alternative embodiments, for automatic generation of location data,other types of positioning systems may be utilized to determine locationinformation for the PCD 75. For example, radar could be used to remotelytrack the PCD 75 and then the radar system could be designed to conveyposition information to the PCD 75 or the base station control unit(BSCU) 40, for ultimate consumption and analysis by the BS manager 41.

The BS manager 41 is designed to determine a stop location(s), basedupon the location data provided by the PCD 75 and based upon the travelstatus of the MT 17. The stop location(s) can be determined based uponany suitable set of criteria. The database 94 can be provided with astop location data table 68 d for storing stop locations and relatingthem to MTs 17 that are further identified in the MT data table 68 a.

As an example, the BS manager 41 may be designed to determine an exactor approximate midpoint location between the location of the MT 17 andthe location of the PCD 75 to serve as the stop location. The BS manager41 can be interfaced with or be designed to include mapping software(many versions of which are commercially available at the present time),geographic information system (GIS) software, or an address lookup tableto enable the BS manager 41 to perform the foregoing determination.Mapping software and interfaces thereto are well known in the art andare commercially available. Also, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,650, which isincorporated herein by reference and which describes an example ofmapping software.

As another example, the stop location(s) may be selected from a group ofpredetermined stops (a collection or along a predetermined route), knownintersections, known addresses, detected locations, locations on a map,etc., that are in an acceptable proximity to the PCD 75 and the MT 17,at the time that the determination is made.

In some embodiments, a selection among of group of possible stops can bemade by correlating a maximum device distance requirement (distancebetween the device and a possible stop location) and a maximum MTdistance requirement (distance between the MT 17 and a possible stoplocation) to the group of possible stop locations. One or morealgorithms 98 (FIG. 5A) can be provided and stored in memory for thispurpose. For instance, assume that the maximum device distancerequirement is set at a mile and assume that the maximum MT distancerequirement is set at 5 miles. Also, assume that the BS manager 41 hasdetermined, based upon its database, address lookup table, mappingprograms, or otherwise, that three locations A, B, and C are possiblecandidates for the device user to pickup from or deliver to the MT 17.In this scenario, the BS manager 41 can be designed to analyze thelocations A, B, and C to determine which meet the requirements. It canbe designed to select one or more locations that meets the requirements.

The BS manager 41 communicates an identification of each of the one ormore stop locations to the PCD 75 so that the delivery or pickup taskcan be accomplished at a stop location. The identification can be anysuitable information that will enable the device user to travel to thestop location(s), for example but not limited to, street addressinformation, bus stop location or number, street intersection location,longitude and latitude coordinates, audio or visual description of aplace, an image of the stop location, a map image, etc. All of theforegoing can be stored, if desired, in and accessed from the stoplocation data table 68 d (FIG. 5A). Directions to the stop location(s)can also be provided by the BS manager 41 over the communications linkto the PCD 75. The directions can be stored in memory and accessed by anappropriate index that is stored in the table 68 d. Note thatcomputer-based functionality for a notification system for communicatinga map image to the PCD is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,936, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, along with an identification(s) of the stop location(s), anidentification of the MT 17 to the PCD 75. For example, theidentification could be a bus number, visual or audio description,description of the driver or vehicle type (bus, railroad train, tax,etc.), etc. The foregoing information can be stored in and accessed fromthe MT data table 68 a (FIG. 5A).

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, along with an identification of the stop location(s), acode to the PCD 75 that will be used by the contacted party to indicateto a party associated with the MT 17, for example, a driver of the MT17, for authentication purposes so that the party associated with the MT17 knows that the party arriving at the stop location is properlyauthorized to perform the pickup or delivery. The code can be stored inand accessed from, for example, the authentication data table 68 h.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed to receivean indication from the PCD 75 that the party is unwilling to perform thedelivery or pickup task associated with the notification; and as aconsequence, to initiate another notification communication to anotherdifferent PCD 75 associated with another party in order to requestassistance in the delivery or pickup task from the another party. As anexample, the BS manager 41 may prompt the party to press a particulartelephone button to indicate a willingness or unwillingness to acceptthe responsibility of the delivery or pickup. As another example, the BSmanager 41 may forward an HTML page (or other markup language) of codeto a computer-based PCD 75 that visually prompts the party to make aselection.

2. Second Embodiment

In further alternative embodiments, as is shown in FIG. 14B, the BSmanager 41 may be designed to perform the following steps: monitoringtravel data associated with a plurality (two or more) of MTs 17, forinstance, first and second MTs 17, as shown in block 201; communicatinga notification involving a delivery or pickup task to a PCD associatedwith a party, as shown in block 202; receiving location data from thePCD, as shown in block 203; determining one or more first stop locationsand one or more second stop locations, based upon the device locationdata and the travel data associated with the first and second MTs 17, asshown in block 204; and communicating one or more identifications foreach of the first and second MTs 17 as well as their respective firstand second stop locations to the PCD so that the delivery or pickup taskcan be accomplished at a stop location, as shown in block 205.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, an indication of the type of MT 17 that will stop at eachlocation, for example but not limited to, whether the MT 17, is a bus,railroad train, tax, etc. This would enable the notification-receivingparty to select which mode of transportation to utilize.

In alternative embodiments, the manager 41 is designed to enable theuser of the PCD 75 to select which of the stop locations and/or which ofthe MTs 17 that the user wishes to utilize. This can be accomplishedusing one of the variations of the response system, which have beendescribed in detail previously. Furthermore, this selection orinformation indicative thereof can be forwarded by the manager 41 to acommunications device, for example, device 44 (FIG. 1), associated withthe selected MT 17, so that the MT 17 is aware of the pickup or deliveryby the user at the selected stop location. Also, if desired, the manager41 can be designed to advise one or more other MTs 17 that they have notbeen selected.

Q. Stop Location Determination Systems and Methods Based Upon TimingCriteria

Stop location determination systems (and methods) 190 that utilizetiming criteria (system defined or user defined via user preferences)can be implemented in connection with the notification systems, forexample, those described hereinbefore. Several nonlimiting exemplaryembodiments of possible stop location determination systems (andmethods) 190 of this type will be described in detail hereafter.Although not limited to this application, such stop locationdetermination systems 190 are particularly useful in connection withtransportable PCDs that are carried with a mobile person, as will beclear from the discussion hereafter.

1. First Embodiment

The architecture of one such embodiment, among others, is shown in FIG.15A and is denoted by reference numeral 190 c. Although not limited tothis particular configuration, in this embodiment, the stop locationdetermination system 190 c is implemented in the monitoring mechanism 69(FIG. 5B) associated with the notification system 10, particularly inthe software associated with the BS manager 41 (FIG. 3). This stoplocation determination system 190 c, can be configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 15A, viasuitable programming: receiving one or more timing criteriacorresponding to a pickup or delivery, as denoted at block 211;monitoring travel data pertaining to an MT 17, as denoted at block 212;determining one or more pickup/delivery locations for the MT 17 basedupon the travel status and the timing criteria, as denoted at block 213;and communicating with a PCD 75 associated with a party and providingthe pickup/delivery locations to the communications device, as denotedat block 214, so that pickup or delivery can be accomplished inaccordance with the timing criteria at a stop location.

The timing criteria can be, for example but not limited to, a time ofthe day, a period of time during the day (e.g., 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm,daytime, nighttime, etc.), days of the week, weeks of the month, aperiod of time to elapse from the time that the timing criteria are madeknown to the notification system (e.g., in 3 hours), an indication ofASAP (as soon as possible), etc. In the preferred embodiment, the timingcriteria are communicated to the BS manager 41 by the user and arestored in user data table 68 b of the database 94 (FIG. 5A).

The entity that owns and/or operates the notification system 10 ornotification service could even practice a business method involvingcharging a user for delivering to or enabling pickup at a location thatwas not originally scheduled or charging different fees to a user fordifferent degrees of notification immediacy or charging for facilitatinga delivery or pickup. For example, the entity could charge more for ASAPservice than for a service having a timing requirement of within 24hours. A stratified billing schedule could be implemented, for example,similar to the manner in which the U.S. Postal Service charges for mailservices: overnight is one charge, two-day service is another, etc.

Note that, with the stop location determination system 190 c, a user canmeet a driver of a vehicle at any one of a number of vehicle stops alonga route traveled by the vehicle. As an example, a party may wish to meeta driver and obtain a package as soon as possible. This system 190 callows the party to interact with the driver/vehicle at an appropriatevehicle stop (address or map based location) that meets the timingcriterion, perhaps one that was not originally intended by the party ordriver.

In this embodiment 190 c, the massage manager 82 of the BS manager 41receives the one or more timing criteria corresponding to a pickup ordelivery and stores this information in the user data table 68 b. Thetiming criteria can be communicated to the BS manager 41 via anysuitable means, for example but not limited to, via a computer over theInternet, in response to screen prompts associated with a graphical userinterface displayed on the user's computer screen and generated fromHTML (with applets, if desired, in the implementation) communicated fromthe BSCU 40 to the user computer.

The data manager 67 and/or the monitoring mechanism 69 of the BS manager41 is designed to monitor travel of the MT 17, as previously described.The tracking can be based upon timing, distance, and/or locationinformation.

The data manager 67 and/or the monitoring mechanism 69 of the BS manager41 is further designed to determine a pickup/delivery location(s) forthe MT 17 based upon the travel status and the timing criteria (and inalternative embodiments, additionally based upon location dataassociated with the PCD 75 itself, an originally scheduledpickup/delivery location, or some other location or geographicalreference). Any suitable algorithms may be employed by the BS manager 41to accomplish this determination task.

The stop location(s) may be determined from a group of predeterminedeligible stops (a collection or along a predetermined route), from knownintersections, from a set of detected locations, from locations on amap, from addresses, etc. The BS manager 41 can be interfaced with or bedesigned to include conventional mapping software to enable the BSmanager 41 to perform the foregoing determination.

As a simple example of a determination process, the BS manager 41 couldselect the next stop or next two stops along a predetermined routeassociated with a delivery vehicle when it will arrive at such stop orstops within a specified timing criterion, e.g., 30 minutes.

In some embodiments, a selection among a group of possible stops can bemade by correlating a maximum device time requirement (time that it willtake a person carrying the device to travel the distance between thedevice and a possible stop location) and a maximum MT time requirement(time that it will take the MT 17 to travel the distance between the MT17 and a possible stop location) to the group of possible stoplocations. For instance, assume that the timing criterion is set at 15minutes, that the BS manager 41 has determined, based upon its database,mapping programs, or otherwise, that three locations A, B, and C arepossible candidates for the device user to pickup from or deliver to theMT 17, that the maximum device time requirement for locations A, B, andC are 10, 16, and 20 minutes, respectively, and that the maximum MT timerequirement for locations A, B, and C are 5, 11, and 9 minutes,respectively. In this scenario, the BS manager 41 can be designed toselect location A, because the timing criterion will be met.

In alternative embodiments, the stop location(s) may be selected fromlocations that are in an acceptable proximity to the PCD 75 and the MT17, at the time that the determination is made, but which would satisfythe one or more timing criteria. In these alternative embodiments, thelocation of the PCD 75 can be assumed, in general, based upon the homeaddress, work address, telephone number exchange associated with the PCD75, etc., associated with the user, could be determined using a locationsensor situated on the PCD 75 (as previously described), could be basedupon other configuration data provided by the user, etc.

When a notification communication is to occur, the transmitter 72associated with the BSCU 40 (FIG. 1), under the control of the BSmanager 41, communicates the notification communication. Thenotification communication passes through the network 55 (FIG. 1) to thereceiver 73 (FIG. 1) associated with the PCD 75. The BS manager 41 canbe designed to cause initiation of the notification communication when asuitable MT 17 is an acceptable proximity, perhaps a predeterminedproximity or system-defined or user-defined proximity, with respect toone or more stop locations.

As another alternative, the BS manager 41 can be designed to causeinitiation of the notification communication when a suitable MT 17 hasalready traveled a predefined time period along a predefined route.

The BS manager 41 communicates an identification of the stop location(s)to the PCD 75 so that the delivery or pickup task can be accomplished ata stop location. The identification can be any suitable information thatwill enable the device user to travel to the stop location(s), forexample but not limited to, street address information, bus stoplocation or number, street intersection location, longitude and latitudecoordinates, audio or visual description of a place, an image of thestop location, a map image, etc. Directions to the stop location(s) canalso be provided by the BS manager 41 over the communications link.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, along with an identification of the stop location(s), anidentification of the MT 17 to the PCD 75. For example, theidentification could be a bus number, visual or audio description,description of the driver or vehicle type, etc.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, along with an identification of a plurality of stoplocations, an indication of the type of MT 17 that will stop at eachlocation, for example but not limited to, whether the MT 17, is a bus,railroad train, tax, etc.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, along with an identification of the stop location, a codeto the PCD 75 that will be used by the contacted party to indicate to aparty associated with the MT 17, for example, a driver of the MT 17, forauthentication purposes so that the party associated with the MT 17knows that the party arriving at the stop location is properlyauthorized to perform the pickup or delivery.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed to receivean indication from the PCD 75 that the party is unwilling to perform thedelivery or pickup task associated with the notification; and as aconsequence, to initiate another notification communication to anotherdifferent PCD 75 associated with another party in order to requestassistance in the delivery or pickup task from the another party. As anexample, the BS manager 41 may prompt the party to press a particulardevice button to indicate a willingness or unwillingness to accept theresponsibility of the delivery or pickup. As another example, the BSmanager 41 may forward an HTML page of code to a computer-based PCD 75that visually prompts the party to make a selection.

2. Second Embodiment

As illustrated in FIG. 15B, the BS manager 41 may be configured toperform the following steps: receiving one or more timing criteriacorresponding to a pickup or delivery, as denoted at block 221;monitoring travel data pertaining to a plurality of MTs 17, forinstance, first and second MTs 17, as denoted at block 222; determininga pickup/delivery locations for the first and second MTs 17 based uponthe travel status and the timing criteria, as denoted at block 223; andcontacting a communications device associated with a party and providingthe pickup/delivery locations for the first and second MTs 17,respectively, to the communications device, so that pickup or deliverycan be accomplished in accordance with the timing criteria, as denotedat block 224.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 may be designed tocommunicate, an indication of the type of MT 17 that will stop at eachlocation, for example but not limited to, whether the MT 17, is a bus,railroad train, tax, etc. This would enable the notification-receivingparty to select which mode of transportation to utilize.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 is designed to enable theuser of the PCD 75 to select which of the stop locations and/or which ofthe MTs 17 that the user wishes to utilize. This can be accomplishedusing one of the variations of the response system, which have beendescribed in detail previously. Furthermore, this selection orinformation indicative thereof can be forwarded by the BS manager 41 toa communications device, for example, device 44 (FIG. 1), associatedwith the selected MT 17, so that the MT 17 is aware of the pickup ordelivery by the user at the selected stop location. Also, if desired,the BS manager 41 can be designed to advise one or more other MTs 17that they have not been selected.

R. Secure Notification Messaging Systems and Methods

Secure notification messaging systems and methods can be implemented inconnection with the notification systems, for example, those describedhereinbefore, to give the contacted party confidence that thenotification message is genuine and legitimate.

More specifically, the BS manager 41 may be designed to sendauthentication information to the PCD 75 when a notification is inprogress to indicate to the user that the notification is originatingfrom the proper source. The authentication information can be, forexample but not limited to, any of the following: a logo, trademark,coat of arms, symbol, predefined symbol or text or numeric code that hasbeen made known to or selected by the party being contacted, specificsound or sounds or music, a distinctive ring as described in U.S. Pat.No. 6,313,760 that is selected by the user, image of a vehicle ordriver, live image of vehicle or driver, a telephone number that can becalled to verify the notification, such as the telephone numberassociated with a telephone situated on the MT 17 or associated with averification entity, part of a credit card number, such as the last fourdigits, an image of a signature, such as the signature of the notifiedparty, a public official, or another party, etc.

The authentication information can be preset or dynamicallyprogrammable. It can be user defined or system defined.

When the PCD 75 is equipped with a screen (e.g., a Sanyo Model 8100wireless PCS vision picture phone distributed by Sprint, a Sony EricssonT300 wireless picture phone distributed by T-Mobile, etc.), an image canbe sent. When the PCD 75 is equipped with audio capabilities, a signalthat causes an audible signal at the user end can be sent. When the PCD75 is equipped with motion or vibration capabilities, a signal can besent that causes a particular motion or vibration signal to occur at theuser end.

The authentication data can be stored in authentication data table 68 hof the database 94 or the data can be accessed remotely, evendynamically during a communication with PCD 75.

FIG. 16 shows graphically the secure notification messaging system andis generally denoted by reference numeral 210. As an exemplaryimplementation, the system 210 is implemented in software in themonitoring mechanism 69 associated with the BS manager 41. The softwareis configured to perform or cause performance of the following steps:monitoring travel data associated with an MT 17, as indicated at block231; communicating a notification involving a delivery or pickup taskassociated with the MT 17 to a PCD associated with a party, as indicatedat block 232; and providing authentication information 234 to the PCDthat indicates to the party that the notification is from an authorizedsource, as indicated at block 233. The providing step can be performedbefore, during (as part of the same step), or after the communicatingstep. As is shown in FIG. 16, the authentication information 234 can bestored in the memory 30 b, can be accessed by the BS manager 41, andcommunicated by the BS manager 41 to the PCD 75.

In alternative embodiments, among others, a party can predefine one ormore authentication indicia to be sent to the PCD 75 during anotification. The BS manager 41 is designed with functionality to permita party to communicate with the BS manager 41 and provide configurationinformation, such as an identification of the authentication indicia.Such configuration information can be stored and accessed by the BSmanager 41 in the user data table 68 b and/or the authentication datatable 68 h.

As an example, the contact can occur by having the party use a computeror computer-based device to communicate with the BS manager 41 over theInternet, particularly the WWW. Any suitable graphical user interfacecan be employed to enable communications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,891describes systems and methods for enabling interactions between a partyusing a computer and a base station computer associated with anotification system, the description of which is incorporate herein byreference. These systems and methods can be employed in the context ofthis example.

As another example, the contact can occur by having the party use aconventional telephone to communicate with the BS manager 41 over thePSTN. In connection with such a telephone link, any suitable interactivevoice response (IVR) system or dual-tone encoding scheme may be utilizedto communicate information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,010 describes systemsand methods for enabling interactions between a party using a telephoneand a base station computer associated with a notification system, thedescription of which is incorporate herein by reference. These systemsand methods can be employed in the context of this example.

In further alternative embodiments, a link may be provided by the BSmanager 41 with the authentication information to enable the party tocertify that the authentication information is from an authorizedsource. For example, the link may be a hyperlink to a server on theInternet. The party can select the link to communicate with the serverto certify that the authentication information is from the authorizedsource.

As an example, a certifiable image may be utilized. More specifically,an image is communicated to the PCD 75 and the user of the PCD 75 canhave the content of the image certified or verified as originating froman authorized source. In one such embodiment, the image (captured livevia digital camera or prerecorded) is a picture of a mobile vehicledriver that is communicated to a computer-based PCD 75 during thenotification communication. The image is embedded in HTML, XML, or someother markup language with java applets. A hyperlink is provided so thatthe device user can click on, or select, the image or select thehyperlink, which causes the image to be sent to a remotecertification/verification server on the Internet. Thecertification/verification server can be part of the notification systemor a separate entity. The server compares the image with an image of thedriver that is stored in a local accessible database. When it matches ordoes not match, the server is designed to communicate such message backto the PCD 75 indicating the match or nonmatch, respectively.

As another example, a certifiable code may be utilized. In this example,the certification/verification server has a list of authorized codes inits database that are authorized to be used by the notificationsystem/service. The server compares the incoming code with a code thatis stored in an accessible database. When it matches or does not match,the server is designed to communicate such message back to the PCD 75indicating the match or nonmatch, respectively.

As another alternative embodiment, the MT 17 may be equipped with one ormore digital cameras (or the cameras may be disposed remote from the MT17) for capturing an image, series of images, and/or video (real timelive or delayed) of the MT 17, of a person (e.g., a driver) or thingsituated within the MT 17, or of something outside the MT 17 and forcommunicating the image or video to a website server on the World WideWeb (WWW) of the Internet. Moreover, the authentication information mayinclude a hyperlink to the website server on the WWW of the Internet sothat the notification-receiving party can view the image or video takenfrom the MT 17.

FIG. 16A shows a possible screen message that can be driven to (such asover the internet) and shown on a notified PCD 75 during a notificationcommunication. The screen has an image 235 of the party associated withthe MT 17 who will be arriving at the stop location. Also, with thisexample, a response system, as described previously in this document, isimplemented. More specifically, the notified party is prompted: “Pleasereply to this message for additional verification, to cancel thearrival, or to reschedule.” Hyperlinks can be associated with each ofthe foregoing sentence elements, so that when the recipient selects one,the BSCU 40 receives the selection and can act accordingly.

S. Mobile Thing Determination Systems and Methods

1. First Embodiment

Mobile thing determination systems (and methods) 250 can be implementedin connection with the notification systems, for example, thosedescribed hereinbefore. Several nonlimiting exemplary embodiments ofpossible MT determination systems (and methods) 250 will be described indetail hereafter. Although not limited to these applications, suchdetermination systems 250 are particularly useful in connection withtransportable PCDs that are carried with a mobile person and inconnection with transportation services, like taxicab services, thathave a number of vehicles and stop locations that can be anywhere, aswill be clear from the discussion hereafter.

The architecture of one such embodiment, among others, is shown in FIG.17A and is generally denoted by reference numeral 250 a. Although notlimited to this particular configuration, in this embodiment, the MTdetermination system 250 a is implemented in the notification system 10,particularly the BS manager 41. The MT determination system 250 a, isconfigured to implement the following methodology, as is summarized byflow chart in FIG. 17A: permitting a party to identify a pickuplocation, a dropoff location, and one or more user notificationpreferences, as indicated at block 251; identifying an MT 17 based uponthe identity of the pickup location, the dropoff location, or both, asindicated at block 252; and communicating an identity of the MT whenappropriate, pursuant to the one or more notification preferences, asindicated in block 253. Note that these steps can occur as part of thesame communication session or link or in more than one communicationtransaction.

Additionally and optionally, the MT determination system 250 a (orsystem 250 b) can be further designed to receive an identification orcharacteristic of a thing during a communication session between theBSCU 40 and the PCD 75, for example but not limited to, an identity orcharacteristic of a package or person, to be picked up at the pickuplocation. This information can be used for planning and/or verificationpurposes. Further, if desired, the system 250 a (or system 250 b) can beconfigured to cause the BSCU 40 to communicate this identification orcharacteristic of the thing to be picked up to a communications deviceassociated with the MT 17, so that a party associated with the MT 17 canverify the thing at the pickup location. The identity or characteristiccan be any of a number of possibilities, such as a number (e.g., barcode number, Federal Express number, etc.) associated with a package,the weight or size of a package, or the name of a person.

Although not necessary for implementation, the foregoing methodology canbe implemented, and in the preferred embodiment is implemented, bysoftware associated with the data manager 67 and/or the monitoringmechanism 69 (FIG. 5B) of the BS manager 41. See stop locationdetermination system 250 in FIGS. 1 and 3. The combination of blocks ofFIG. 17A essentially represents the high level architecture of suchsoftware. Note, however, that it is possible to have special purposedigital or analog hardware designed to implement the same or similarmethodology, and such hardware could be associated with the BSCU 40.

Pickup and dropoff locations can be stored and accessed in the stoplocation data table 68 d. Identification of MTs can be stored andaccessed in the MT data table 68 a. Further, user notificationpreferences can be stored and accessed in the user data table 68 b.

More specifically, with respect to step 251, the BS manager 41 isdesigned to permit a party to identify a pickup location, a dropofflocation, and one or more notification preferences. The communicationcan occur via any suitable communications device and with any suitableuser interface, but in the preferred embodiment, the communication isaccomplished through a portable computer-based PCD 75, such as awireless telephone or PDA. The notification preferences may include, forexample but not limited to, a proximity of the MT to the pickup location(e.g., a distance between the MT and the pickup location that is to bemet before a notification will occur, a telephone number to be used whenmaking the notification communication, a time period that it will takethe MT to reach the pickup location, the arrival or departure of the MTfrom a location, the entry of the MT into a geographic region, etc.), aparticular time that the passenger must arrive at the dropoff location,a time period that the user is willing to expend on the trip (severalselections could be provided pertaining to the same or differentvehicles), the type or location of seat that the passenger would like toreserve, whether a pickup vehicle has air conditioning, the type ofsecurity or care that is to be taken with respect to a package that isbeing picked up, an identification and/or when to use one or morecommunications methods, a specification to attempt anothercommunications device if a first one fails, any of those preferencesmentioned previously in this document, etc. The communications methodsmay involve, for example but not limited to, communicating a signaland/or a message to a land-line telephone, cellular, satellite, orwireless telephone, facsimile machine, computer, television, cable TVtransceiver, satellite transceiver, personal data assistant (PDA),pager, any addressable communications device on the internet, etc. Botha signal and a message may be sent to the target communications device,for example, a ring signal and a text message could be communicated to aPDA, pager, or computer.

With respect to step 252, any of a number of possible criteria may beused by the BS manager 41 to identify and/or select an MT 17 toaccomplish the pickup and dropoff task, while complying with the userpreferences. As an example of the MT identification process in thecontext of taxicabs, consider a scenario where the user has indicatedthat one of his/her preferences is to get picked up within fifteenminutes and that another one of his, her preferences is that the taxicabmust have air conditioning. Further assume that the BS manager 41 knowsthat a taxicab having air conditioning is currently available in thegeographical area of the pickup location and can travel to the pickuplocation within the specified fifteen minutes. In this example, the BSmanager 41 can be designed to assign the taxicab to the task of pickingthe user up at the pickup location and dropping the user off at thedropoff location. A communication can be sent by the BSCU 40 to acommunications device associated with the taxicab, indicating the pickupparticulars.

With respect to step 253, the BS manager 41 is designed to initiate anotification communication and communicate an identity of the MT 17,when appropriate, pursuant to the one or more notification preferences.In the preferred embodiment, the notification communication session isinitiated by the BS manager 41 when the MT 17 is at a particularlocation, is within a particular geographical region, or is within aparticular proximity of the dropoff location, using the monitoringsystems and algorithms described previously in this document.

During the notification communication session, the MT 17 can beidentified with a vehicle number, with a description of a vehicle type,color, etc., with reference to a logo on the MT, with a digitizedpicture or video of the MT, or in some other way.

The BS manager 41 can be designed to enable the party to accept or denythe pickup and dropoff using the identified MT 17 during thenotification communication session or during a subsequent communicationsession. This can be accomplished with a suitable graphical userinterface, assuming the PCD 75 has display capabilities, with an IVR, bytouch tone commands pressed by the device user, by other means ofcommunication described elsewhere in this document, etc.

The BS manager 41 can be designed to provide information concerning thecapacity of the MT 17 during the notification communication session, forexample but not limited to, the number of passengers, packages, or otheritems currently residing on the MT 17, the number of vacant spaces,seats, slots, etc.

The BS manager 41 may be designed to receive information regarding anitem, for example but not limited to, a package, that is placed on theMT 17, based upon it being placed on the MT 17 at the pickup location,based upon it being dropped off at the dropoff location, or both. Thisinformation is useful for tracking the item as well as the capacity ofthe MT to handle new items. Furthermore, a machine readable code, forexample, a bar code or electronic tag (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,301),could reside on or in or be placed on or in the item and read by asuitable reader, such as a bar code scanner or electronic tag reader, atsome time when the item is matched up with the MT 17. Moreover, thiscode or a derivative thereof (e.g., an indicator of less bit size, acoded representation, an index in a lookup table, etc.) could becommunicated from the MT, using a suitable communications device on theMT 17, to the BSCU 40 for further processing and analysis, if desired.

2. Second Embodiment

The architecture of another embodiment of the MT determination system250, among others, is shown in FIG. 17B and is generally denoted byreference numeral 250 b. Although not limited to this particularconfiguration, in this embodiment, the MT determination system 250 b isimplemented in the notification system 10, particularly the BS manager41. The MT determination system 250 b, is configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 17B:establishing a first communication session between the system 10 and aPCD 75, as indicated at block 261; during the first communicationsession, permitting a party associated with the PCD 75 to identify (a) acommunications method for providing a notification, (b) a pickuplocation and (c) a dropoff location, as indicated at block 262;identifying an MT that will arrive at the pickup location for pickup andthat will travel to the dropoff location for dropoff, based upon theidentity of the pickup location, the dropoff location, or both, asindicated at block 263; establishing a second communication session inaccordance with the communications method for providing a notification,as indicated at block 264; and during the second communications session,identifying the MT, as indicated at block 265. In the preferredembodiment, the second communication session is initiated by the BSmanager 41 when the MT 17 is at a particular location, is within aparticular geographical region, or is within a particular proximity ofthe dropoff location, using the monitoring systems and algorithmsdescribed previously in this document.

Although not necessary for implementation, the foregoing methodology canbe implemented, and in the preferred embodiment is implemented, bysoftware associated with the BS manager 41. See stop locationdetermination system 250 in FIGS. 1 and 3. The combination of blocks ofFIG. 17B essentially represents the high level architecture of suchsoftware. Note, however, that it is possible to have special purposedigital or analog hardware designed to implement the same or similarmethodology, and such hardware could be associated with the BSCU 40.

During the first and/or second communication sessions, the MT 17 can beidentified with a vehicle number, with a description of a vehicle type,color, etc., with reference to a logo on the MT, with a digitizedpicture or video of the MT, or in some other way.

The BS manager 41 can be designed to enable the party to accept or denythe pickup and dropoff using the identified MT 17 during the firstcommunication session, during the second communication session, orduring a subsequent communication session. This can be accomplished witha suitable graphical user interface, assuming the PCD 75 has displaycapabilities, with an IVR, by touch tone commands pressed by the deviceuser, by other means of communication described elsewhere in thisdocument, etc.

Note that the second communication session can occur between the BSCU 40and a different PCD 75, that is, different from the one involved in thefirst communication session, based upon user notification preferences.The user can specify in the first communication session or in some othercommunications session with the BS manager 41, which communicationmethod(s) should by used for the second communication session (which isthe notification session).

The BS manager 41 can be designed to provide information concerning thecapacity of the MT 17 during the first communication session, secondcommunication session, or both, for example, the number of passengers,packages, or other items, the number of vacant spaces, seats, slots,etc.

The BS manager 41 can be designed to receive information regarding anitem, for example, a package, that is placed on the MT 17, based upon itbeing placed on the MT 17 at the pickup location, based upon it beingdropped off at the dropoff location, or both. This information is usefulfor tracking the item as well as the capacity of the MT to handle newitems. Furthermore, a machine readable code, for example, a bar code,could reside on or in or be placed on or in the item and read by asuitable reader, such as a bar code scanner, at some time when the itemis matched up with the MT 17. Moreover, this code or a derivativethereof could be communicated from the MT, using a suitablecommunications device, to the BSCU 40 for further processing andanalysis, if desired.

3. Third Embodiment

The architecture of yet another embodiment of the MT determinationsystem 250, among others, is shown in FIG. 17C and is generally denotedby reference numeral 250 c. Although not limited to this particularconfiguration, in this embodiment, the MT determination system 250 c isimplemented in the notification system 10, particularly the BS manager41. The MT determination system 250 c, is configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 17C:during a communication session with a PCD 75, determining a location(can be a geographic area or an approximate location, depending upon theprecision needed to effect pickup or delivery) of the PCD 75; andidentifying an MT 17 to travel to the location or another location thatis near the determined location for a pickup or delivery based upon thedetermined location of the PCD 75.

Note that, in this embodiment 250 c, the communication session that isused to enable detection of the location of the PCD 75 can be anotification communication initiated from the system 10 to the PCD 75,based upon one or more criteria defined by a user in user notificationpreferences, or can be a communication initiated by the PCD 75 to thesystem 10. When the latter is implemented, the system 250 c may bedesigned to cause a subsequent notification communication session to thePCD 75 and/or a different PCD 75 (defined by user preferences) from thesystem 10 based upon travel status of the MT 17, e.g., when thedetermined MT is at a particular location, is within a particulargeographical region, or is within a particular proximity of thelocation.

The location of the PCD 75 can be determined automatically, using any ofthe techniques described previously, or can be determined by promptingthe device user to manually enter an identification (e.g., an address,region, stop number, etc.) or description of the device location. As anexample, the device user could be prompted to enter a text message thatincludes the post office address that is nearest the PCD 75 or to enterthe zip code in which the PCD 75 resides.

Further, when the MT 17 is identified, it may be selected, if necessary,from a plurality of possible MTs 17, based upon user notificationpreferences in addition to the determined location of the PCD 75.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, although not in this context, this embodiment 250 c can befurther designed to communicate an identification of the location of thePCD 75 to a communications device associated with the MT 17.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 c can be further designed tocommunicating an identification of the MT 17, such as a number ordescription, to the PCD 75.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 c can be further designed to enable theparty associated with the PCD 75 to accept or deny the responsibility ofthe pickup or the delivery using the identified MT during thecommunication session or during a subsequent communication session withan appropriate response from the user of the PCD 75. See responsesystems and methods described earlier in this document. Furthermore, theBS manager 41 can be designed to forward the detected location of thePCD 75 back to the PCD 75, so that the user of the PCD 75 is aware ofthe system detected location and can confirm it.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 c can be further designed to provideinformation concerning a capacity of items situated on the MT 17 that isto travel to the pickup or delivery location.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 c can be further designed to receiveinformation from the PCD 75 regarding an item that is to be placed onthe MT 17 at the location or dropped off at the location, or both. Withrespect to the former, the item may be equipped with a human readablecode or machine readable code that can be read or scanned and sent tothe system 10.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 c can be further designed to receive anidentification or characteristic of a thing to be picked up by the MT 17at the location, and to communicate the thing identification orcharacteristic to a communications device, personal or otherwise,associated with the MT 17.

In other alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 can also be designedto communicate a location to the PCD 75 that is different than thedetected location or approximate detected location of the PCD 75 or thatis in an area that the PCD 75 is detected to be within or near. Forexample, if the PCD 75 is detected to be near an already existingscheduled stop location for an MT 17, then the PCD 75 may be advised ofthe stop location. An identity of, description of, and/or directionsthereto can be communicated to the PCD 75. The device user can be giventhe opportunity to accept or deny a pickup or delivery at the differentlocation. As another example, the zip code associated with the area inwhich the PCD 75 presently resides may have been manually communicatedto the system 10 by the user of PCD 75. In this example, the BS manager41 may be configured to select any suitable stop location that is withinthe geographic region corresponding to the zip code.

The user can even be given the opportunity to select between thedetermined or the different location. The user could even be charged afee or a higher rate for causing the MT 17 to travel to the devicelocation as opposed to the different location (the one that maycorrespond to an already scheduled stop).

4. Fourth Embodiment

The architecture of still another embodiment of the MT determinationsystem 250, among others, is shown in FIG. 17D and is generally denotedby reference numeral 250 d. Although not limited to this particularconfiguration, in this embodiment, the MT determination system 250 d isimplemented in the notification system 10, particularly the BS manager41. The MT determination system 250 d, is configured to implement thefollowing methodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 17D:causing or establishing a first communication session between the system10 and a PCD 75; during the first communication session, determining alocation (can be a geographic area or an approximate location, dependingupon the precision needed to effect pickup or delivery) of the PCD 75;selecting an MT 17 from among a plurality to travel to the determinedlocation or another location for a pickup or delivery at one of thelocations; and causing or monitoring establishment of a secondcommunication session between the system 10 and the PCD 75 when one ormore user preferences criteria relating to travel status of the selectedMT 17 have been satisfied to notify the user of the PCD 75 of theimpending arrival of the MT 17 at one of the locations.

Note that, in this embodiment 250 d, the communication session that isused to enable detection of the location of the PCD 75 can be anotification communication initiated from the system 10 to the PCD 75,based upon one or more criteria defined by a user in user notificationpreferences, or can be a non-notification communication initiated by thePCD 75 to the system 10.

The system 250 d can be designed to cause the second communicationsession to the PCD 75 (and perhaps to a different PCD 75 pursuant touser preferences) from the system 10 based upon travel status of the MT17 and predefined user preferences, e.g., when the determined MT is at aparticular location, is within a particular geographical region, or iswithin a particular proximity of the location with respect to timing ordistance.

Further, when the MT 17 is identified, it may be selected, if necessary,from a plurality of possible MTs 17, based upon user notificationpreferences in addition to the determined location of the PCD 75.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, although not in this context, this embodiment 250 d can befurther designed to communicate an identification of the location of thePCD 75 to a communications device associated with the MT 17.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 d can be further designed to communicatean identification of the MT 17, such as a number or description, to thePCD 75.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 d can be further designed to enable theparty associated with the PCD 75 to accept or deny the responsibility ofthe pickup or the delivery using the identified MT during thecommunication session or during a subsequent communication session withan appropriate response from the user of the PCD 75. See responsesystems and methods described earlier in this document. Furthermore, theBS manager 41 can be designed to forward the detected location of thePCD 75 back to the PCD 75, so that the user of the PCD 75 is aware ofthe system detected location and can confirm it.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 d can be further designed to provideinformation concerning a capacity of items situated on the MT 17 that isto travel to the pickup or delivery location.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 d can be further designed to receiveinformation from the PCD 75 regarding an item that is to be placed onthe MT 17 at the location or dropped off at the location, or both. Withrespect to the former, the item may be equipped with a human readablecode or machine readable code that can be read or scanned and sent tothe system 10.

As with the other embodiments of the system 250, and as previouslydescribed, this embodiment 250 d can be further designed to receive anidentification or characteristic of a thing to be picked up by the MT 17at the location, and to communicate the thing identification orcharacteristic to a communications device, personal or otherwise,associated with the MT 17.

In other alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 can also be designedto communicate a location to the PCD 75 that is different than thedetected location or approximate detected location of the PCD 75 or thatis in an area that the PCD 75 is detected to be within or near. Forexample, if the PCD 75 is detected to be near an already existingscheduled stop location for an MT 17, then the PCD 75 may be advised ofthe stop location. An identity of, description of, and/or directionsthereto can be communicated to the PCD 75. The device user can be giventhe opportunity to accept or deny a pickup or delivery at the differentlocation.

The user can even be given the opportunity to select between thedetermined or the different location. The user could even be charged afee or a higher rate for causing the MT 17 to travel to the devicelocation as opposed to the different location (the one that maycorrespond to an already scheduled stop).

T. Combined Mobile-Thing-To-Location (MTTL) and Device-To-Location (DTL)Notification Systems and Methods

Systems (and methods) can be implemented in connection with thenotification systems, for example, those described hereinbefore,including system 10, wherein a notification is communicated to the PCD75, based upon the proximity of the MT 17 to a location or region, andanother notification is communicated to the PCD 75, based upon theproximity of the PCD 75 itself to the same location or region (or alocation or region that is in close proximity to or based upon the samelocation or region). Several nonlimiting exemplary embodiments of suchsystems (and methods), which will generally be denoted by referencenumeral 290, will be described in detail hereafter. Although not limitedto these applications, such systems 290 are particularly useful inconnection with transportable PCDs 75 that are carried with a mobileperson and in connection with transportation services, like taxicabservices, that have a number of vehicles and stop locations that can beanywhere, as will be clear from the discussion hereafter.

The architecture of one such embodiment, among others, is shown in FIG.18 and is generally denoted by reference numeral 290. Although notlimited to this particular configuration, in this embodiment, the system290 is implemented in the notification system 10, particularly the BSmanager 41. The system 290 is configured to implement the followingmethodology, as is summarized by flow chart in FIG. 18: (a) monitoringtravel data associated with an MT 17 in relation to a location orregion, as indicated at block 291; (b) monitoring travel data associatedwith a PCD 75 in relation to the location or geographic region (or alocation or region that is in close proximity to or based upon the samelocation or region), as indicated at block 292; (c) causing anotification communication to be initiated to the PCD 75 when the PCD 75is at or is within a predetermined proximity of the location or region,as indicated at block 293; and before, during, or after the forgoingcausing step, causing a different notification communication to beinitiated to the PCD 75 when the MT 17 is at or within a predefinedproximity of the location or region, as indicated at block 294.

The stop location or region can be predetermined or dynamicallydetermined while the MT 17 and/or the PCD 75 are in motion. The user canselectively predetermine the stop location or region via userpreferences. The system 290 can be designed to give the user a stoplocation or region or to give a number of stop locations or regions tochoose from. The system 290 can also be designed to permit the user toenter longitude and latitude values to specify a particular stoplocation.

The system 290 can be designed to determine a stop location based uponthe location of the PCD 75. Techniques for determining the location ofthe PCD 75 have been described herein.

Note that the aforementioned steps 293 and 294 can occur as part of thesame communication session or link or in more than one communicationtransaction. As an example of the former scenario, a text communicationcan be generated by the system 290 and communicated to a pager or PDAthat indicates (a) that the device is within 10 yards of the stoplocation and (b) that the MT 17 is within 10 minutes of arriving at thestop location. As another example of the former scenario, two telephonenumbers associated with a telephone could be called, substantiallyconcurrently, by the notification system 10. Further, each could havetheir own distinctive ring.

The notification system 10 can track the location of the PCD 75 and theMT 17 by using any of the location tracking techniques that have beenpreviously described. Travel data associated with the MT 17 can bestored in a table 68 e, while travel data associated with the PCD 75 canbe stored in a PCD travel data table 68 i of database 94 (FIG. 5A).Furthermore, the notifications can be triggered using any of thepreviously described techniques and user preferences.

In alternative embodiments, the system 290 can be designed tocommunicate an identification of the MT 17 to the PCD 75 during one orboth of the notification communications (blocks 293, 294). Furthermore,the system 290 can be configured to enable the party associated with thePCD 75 to accept or deny a pickup or a delivery using the identified MT17 during the communication session using any of the response techniquesdescribed previously in this document.

In alternative embodiments, the system 290 can be designed to enable aparty associated with the PCD 75 to define user preferences inconnection with the notification communications and to operate inaccordance with the user preferences. For example, among other things,the party can define the predetermined proximity between the MT 17 andthe stop location or region for triggering a notification to the PCD 75and/or the predetermined proximity between the PCD 75 and the stoplocation or region for triggering a notification communication to thePCD 75. The predetermined proximities can be defined as a point when theMT 17 is at a particular location, is within a particular geographicalregion, or is within a particular proximity of the stop location interms of timing, distance, or a combination thereof.

In alternative embodiments, the system 290 can be designed to provideinformation concerning a capacity of items situated on the MT 17. Thistype of information would be communicated from the MT 17 to the system10, directly or indirectly.

In alternative embodiments, the system 290 can be designed to receiveinformation regarding an item that is placed on the MT 17 at the stoplocation or dropped off of the MT 17 at the stop location, or both. Amachine readable code can be disposed on the item and can be read whenthe item is introduced onto or dropped off of the MT 17. The informationcommunicated to the system 10 can be the code or a derivative thereof.

In alternative embodiments, the system 290 can be designed to select theMT 17 from a plurality of MTs 17, based upon user-defined orsystem-defined notification preferences.

In alternative embodiments, the system 290 can be designed to receivefrom the PCD 75 an identification or characteristic of a thing to bepicked up at the stop location. Moreover, the system 290 can optionallybe designed to communicate the thing identification or characteristic toa communications device associated with the MT 17.

In alternative embodiments, the notification system 10 can employ thefunctionality described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,101 for tracking theproximity of the PCD 75 to the location or region and issuing anotification to the PCD 75. U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,101, which isincorporated herein by reference, describes a GPS-receiver-equippedmobile communications device, such as a cellular telephone, thatdetermines its current location and compares the current location of oneor more target locations. When the device is at or near one of thetarget locations, then the device annunciates its arrival by generatingan audible alarm, or displays or transmits a predetermined arrivalmessage. The target location(s) can be entered manually at the devicewith the keypad, can be obtained via a positioning receiver, or can beloaded via a server connected to a communications network.

U. Notifications Based Upon Traffic Flow Predicament Data

The notification system 10 may be designed to take into account trafficflow and anything that can influence traffic flow when determining whenand if notification communications should be initiated.

Although not limited to this application, this feature is particularlyuseful when the system 10 is to initiate a notification when an MT 17 isa predefined proximity in terms of time from a stop location. Thispredefined proximity can be system-defined via any suitable programmingmechanism or user-defined via predefined user preferences. This featureis also useful to trigger a notification to a user to enable the user toplan for a best transmit route (see third embodiment, hereafter).

1. First Embodiment

In one possible embodiment, among others, the BS manager 41 can beconfigured to implement the following algorithm, as denoted by referencenumeral 210 a in FIG. 19A: monitoring travel data associated with an MT17, as denoted at block 311; scheduling a notification communication,such as in a call queue in message manager 82 (FIG. 5B), as denoted atblock 312; analyzing traffic flow predicament data associated with atravel path (e.g., a road) to be traveled by the MT 17, as denoted atblock 313; and rescheduling the notification communication, such as inthe call queue of message manager 82 (FIG. 5B), based at least in partupon the traffic flow predicament data, as denoted at block 314. As canbe appreciated by this methodology, the internal scheduling of thenotification communication can be initiated later, or delayed, or in thealternative, initiated earlier, based upon the influence of heavy orlight traffic, adverse or favorable environmental conditions, etc., sothat the system-defined or user-defined advance notification is moreaccurately timed and implemented.

As with this embodiment and the others described in this section, thetraffic flow predicament data can be stored in a traffic flowpredicament data table(s) 68 j in the database 94 (FIG. 5A) and accessedby the message manager 82 (FIG. 5B). The traffic flow predicament datacan take a variety of forms, and it can be system-defined, user-defined,or a combination thereof.

As a nonlimiting example, the traffic flow predicament data can take theform of time periods during the day correlated to a road segment,indicating how long it should take a motor vehicle under normalcircumstances to traverse that road segment during the different timeperiods. As one way to accomplish this, in a traffic flow predicamentdata table(s) 68 j (FIG. 5A), the following could be a record of fields(or this information could be related and retrieved from several tablesor sub-tables): ROAD-SEGMENT-044, TIME-OF-DAY-6-7,TRAVERSAL-TIME-PERIOD. The first of the foregoing fields identifies theroad segment as number 044, which is Main Street in this example. Thesecond field identifies the time period of the day, i.e., 6:00 am to7:00 am, and this information is correlated with the road segment 044.The third field identifies the time period to traverse the segment 044when this type of traffic flow is in existence.

As a specific example of traffic flow predicament data and how it can beused to effect the timing of a notification, consider the following. Itmay take 10 minutes to traverse Main Street at between 6:00 am and 7:00am, but it may take 30 minutes to traverse Main Street between 7:00 amand 9:00 am. So, continuing this example, assume that the stop locationfor the vehicle is at the end of Main Street, assume that the userpreferences indicate that the user would like to be notified 10 minutesprior to arrival of the vehicle at the stop location, assume that thevehicle has just arrived at the beginning of Main Street, and assumethat it is 8:30 am. With these assumptions, the BS manager 41,particularly, the message manager 82 (FIG. 5B) can be designed to waitto make the notification until it is detected that the vehicle is ⅔ ofthe way through Main Street. However, if the time of day were 6:30 am,then the BS manager 41 can be designed to make the notification, atonce, when it is detected that the vehicle started on Main Street.

Carrying this example further, the BS manager 41 could be designed to,recognize that Main Street is wet and slick, and therefore, initiatefive minutes later any notification communication corresponding to anyMT 17 that must traverse Main Street (because it will take five minuteslonger for the MT 17 to traverse Main Street.

As a further example of traffic flow predicament data, the traffic flowpredicament data could include the real time detection of an accident,the knowledge of construction work, the knowledge of a reduced speedlimit due to road work or some other reason on a road segment and itseffect on traffic flow (e.g., one of three lanes may be blocked, so itwill take 33% longer for a motor vehicle to traverse the road segment,the speed limit is now 25 mph instead of 45 mph, etc.). As one way toaccomplish this, in a traffic flow predicament data table(s) 68 j (FIG.5A), the following could be a set of fields that can be related andretrieved: ROAD-SEGMENT-044, TRAFFIC-FLOW-02, TRAVERSAL-TIME-PERIOD. Thefirst of the aforementioned fields identifies the road segment as number044. The second field identifies the number of lanes that are open,i.e., two of three lanes are open for traffic flow (there are otherentries that include TRAFFIC-FLOW-01 and TRAFFIC-FLOW-03), and thisinformation is correlated with the road segment 044. The third fieldidentifies the time period to traverse the segment 044 when this type oftraffic flow is in existence.

As yet another example of traffic flow predicament data, the trafficflow predicament data could include information concerning theenvironmental or physical conditions associated with a road segment andthe effect of such conditions on traffic flow. For instance, theenvironmental conditions could be whether the road segment is exhibitedby fog, rain, snow, darkness, sun, dryness, slickness, numerous potholes, etc. This information can be obtained via a variety of sources,including weather report data from a weather reporting source,inspection via camera or physical human presence, etc., and thisinformation can be entered into the notification system 10, eitherautomatically or manually. As one way to accomplish this, in a trafficflow predicament data table 68 j (FIG. 5A), the following could be aretrievable set of fields: ROAD-SEGMENT-044, ENVIRONMENT-05,TRAVERSAL-TIME-PERIOD. The first of the foregoing fields identifies theroad segment as number 044. The second field identifies the type ofenvironmental condition of the road segment, which in this case isnumber 05, which corresponds to foggy. The third field identifies thetime period to traverse the segment 044 when there is fog.

As with this embodiment and others to be described in this section, thetravel path to be monitored by the notification system 10 can bedetermined by the notification system 10 or entered/selected by a user.Furthermore, the parameters or metrics that can be used to trigger anotification communication can be system-defined, user-defined (in userpreferences data, such as in table 68 b), or a combination thereof.

2. Second Embodiment

In another possible embodiment, among others, the BS manager 41 can beconfigured to implement the following algorithm, as denoted by referencenumeral 310 b and illustrated in FIG. 19B: monitoring travel dataassociated with an MT 17, as indicated at block 321; determining anotification time period, as indicated at block 322, by reading asystem-defined or user-defined time period (in user preferences data);analyzing traffic flow predicament data associated with a travel path(e.g., a road) to be traveled by the MT 17 (for example, based upon thecurrent location of the MT 17, the ultimate stop location, and the knowntravel path or travel path data, such as map data from a mapping systemshowing how the MT 17 is expected to travel), as indicated at block 323;and determining when a notification communication should be initiated(earlier or later), based upon the notification time period, theinfluence of traffic that is derived from the traffic flow predicamentdata, and other user preferences, if any, as indicated at block 324.

3. Third Embodiment

Although not limited to this application, the following embodiment isparticularly useful in a case where a party would like to know if andwhen travel flow is being hindered, is acceptable, or is being expeditedon a road segment, so that the party in a vehicle can better planhis/her route, for example, enable the party to take an alternativeroute or, enable the party to take the travel path at issue, if and whentravel flow is acceptable or is sufficiently expedited.

In this possible embodiment, the BS manager 41 is configured toimplement the following algorithm, as denoted by reference number 310 cand as illustrated in FIG. 19C: analyzing traffic flow predicament dataassociated with a travel path to be traveled by a party or MT 17, asindicated at block 331; initiating a notification communication sessionwith a PCD 75, based upon the traffic flow predicament data, asindicated at block 332; and during the notification communicationsession, providing a message indicating a state of traffic flow alongthe travel path (e.g., there will be a delay and perhaps to what extent,traffic is flowing at an acceptable level and perhaps to what extent,etc.), as indicated at block 333.

The BS manager 41 can be configured to store the travel path at issue,which can be, for example, one or more road segments (but could also bewaterways, airspace, etc., in the case of other vehicles) and can beconfigured to receive and store traffic flow predicament data associatedwith the travel path.

In some embodiments, the BS manager 41 can be designed to receive (viaentry or selection from available options; data can be stored in userpreferences data) user preferences from a user, for example but notlimited to, an identification of the travel path, a delay acceptancethreshold, which is a metric that can be used to determine whether thetravel path is acceptable or unacceptable and which is used by the BSmanager 41 to trigger a notification communication, an identification ofa time of day or time period during the day, etc. The BS manager 41initiates the notification communication based upon, not only the travelflow predicament data, but also upon one or more other user-definedpreferences.

More specifically, in regard to the delay acceptance threshold, thedelay acceptance threshold can be expressed in any suitable terms toenable the determination of whether or not a delay is acceptable. Forexample, the delay acceptance threshold could be expressed in terms ofpercentages: if traffic traveling along the path will take 50% longerthan usual, then initiate the notification communication. As anotherexample, the threshold could be expressed in terms of delay time: iftraffic traveling along the path will be delayed by an additional 10minutes, then initiate the notification communication. As still anotherexample, the threshold could be expressed in terms of speed: if traffictraveling along the path is 45 mph or greater, then initiate thenotification communication.

In alternative embodiments, the notification communication session canbe initiated or triggered based upon, not only traffic flow predicamentdata, but also upon one or more other parameters, for example but notlimited to, at a predetermined time (e.g., at 5:00 pm) or during a timeperiod of the day (e.g., between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm, after 7:00 pm, inthe evening, etc.). As an example, the BS manager 41 can be designed toinitiate the notification communication at 5:00 pm, or in thealternative, between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm, only if and when traffictraveling along the path will take 50% longer than usual. As anotherexample, the BS manager 41 can be designed to initiate the notificationcommunication at 5:00 pm, or in the alternative, between 5:00 pm and6:00 pm, only if traffic traveling along the path will be delayed by atleast 10 minutes. As yet another example, the BS manager 41 can bedesigned to initiate the notification communication at 5:00 pm, or inthe alternative, between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm, only if and when trafficflow is at an acceptable rate along the path as determined by the delayacceptance threshold, which can be system-defined or user-defined.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 can be designed todetermine a location or region of the PCD 75 in accordance withtechniques described previously in this document (see Response Systems).From this information, the BS manager 41 can be equipped with suitablealgorithms for determining the travel path to be traveled by the partyor the PCD 75.

The BS manager 41 can determine direction of travel by receiving two ormore location values from the PCD 75 that are spaced in time. The BSmanager 41 can also determine direction of travel based upon a knowndestination of the PCD 75. From this location and direction information,the BS manager 41 can anticipate travel paths, such as road segments,that will be traversed by the party or MT 17.

As a specific nonlimiting example, assume that a party has giveninstructions to the notification system 10 to advise the party of anyunacceptable road segments when the party starts to return home afterwork at 5:00 pm. Further assume that the party can take two differentroutes (which can be communicated to the notification system 10 by theuser or determined by the notification system 10 based upon a knowledgeof the user destination): (a) from the workplace to First Street to ElmStreet to 416 Barker Street, or (b) from the workplace to McClellandAvenue to West Morton Street to 416 Barker Street, or (c) from theworkplace to McClelland Avenue to Domino Avenue to 416 Barker Street. Inthis scenario, further assume that the party and PCD 75 commence ontoMcClelland. When the notification system 10 determines the location ofthe PCD 75 to be McClelland, then the BS manager 41 can be designed toselect the next one or more road segments that correspond to the one ormore possible routes that have been taken and to analyze those one ormore road segments in terms of traffic flow predicament data. In thepresent scenario, further assume that the notification system 10 hasdetermined that West Morton Street is unacceptable based upon the delayacceptance threshold and the present traffic flow predicament dataassociated with West Morton Street. In this situation, the BS manager 41will advise the party via the PCD 41 of this fact, in which case theparty can decide to travel route (c) instead of route (b) to get home.

V. Systems and Methods for Monitoring Travel of PCDs and CommunicatingMessages Between PCDs

The notification system 10 may be designed to implement systems andmethods for monitoring travel of MTs 17 that are PCDs 75 andcommunicating notifications and responses among the PCDs 75, as moreparticularly described hereafter.

1. First Embodiment

One embodiment, among others, can be practiced by the notificationsystem 10, particularly in the manager 41, and involves the followingmethodology, which is shown in FIG. 20A and denoted by reference numeral340 a: monitoring travel data associated with a first PCD 75, asindicated at block 341; causing a notification communication session tobe initiated to a second PCD 75, the notification communication sessionincluding a message requesting a response and a travel status reportindicating a proximity of the first PCD 75 to a location, as indicatedat block 342; receiving the response from the second PCD 75, asindicated at block 343; and communicating the response to the first PCD75 (the one being tracked by the notification system 10), as indicatedat block 344.

Note that the travel data in this embodiment, as well as the othersdescribed herein, can be directly related to the device 75, e.g., datathat directly relates to the location of the device 75 itself or can beindirectly related to the device 75, e.g., data that directly relates tothe location of an MT that transports or is closely associated with thedevice 75. Further note that in this embodiment, as well as the othersdescribed herein, although the concepts are described for simplicity inconnection with a first device 75 (the tracked device that receives aresponse) and a second device 75 (the notified device), the concepts canbe employed in connection with one or more first devices 75 and one ormore second devices, in virtually any combination thereof.

In alternative embodiments, the notification system 10 can be designedto enable a first party associated with the first PCD 75 (the one beingtracked) to select whether or not a response is requested at all duringthe notification communication session initiated by the system 10 to thesecond PCD 75. This can be useful in many circumstances, such as when adelivery vehicle needs a signature in order to drop off a package, andtherefore, the delivery vehicle driver, who is associated with the firstPCD 75 needs to know whether a party associated with the second PCD 75will be available at the stop location to sign for the package. Aresponse by the party that gets communicated eventually to the driverwill enable the driver to schedule deliveries accordingly.

In alternative embodiments, the notification system 10 can be equippedwith functionality to determine whether or not a response is necessaryfrom the second PCD 75. For example, the notification system 10 couldtrack whether or not deliveries need a signature in database 94 (FIGS.5A and 5B), such as in a package data table(s) 68 k. For those requiringa signature, the system 10 would invoke a requirement for a response.For those not requiring a signature, the system 10 would not invoke arequirement for a response.

The notification system 10 can be designed to communicate the status ofone or more responses to the first PCD 75. For example, the status couldbe “Confirmed” for the situation where a response has been received andthe notified party is willing to commit to the pickup/delivery,“Unconfirmed” for the situation where a response has been received andthe notified party does not want to commit to the pickup/delivery or itis unclear whether the notified party wishes to commit, and “Waiting”for the situation where a response that has not been received at allfrom the notified party.

In a design where the first PCD 75 is shown the status of multiplenotifications, the system 10 can be designed to enable the partyassociated with the first PCD 75 to make a selection of one of theentries, such as by touch tone, touching a screen, voice recognition(IVR), etc. The system 10 can be designed to communicate an indicationof the selection to the selected ones of the PCDs 75. This feature wouldbe useful in the context of a delivery vehicle 17 so that the driver cannotify the prospective package recipients of the driver's intention todeliver a package to them.

In alternative embodiments, the notification system 10 can be designedto receive a message from the first PCD 75 and communicate the messageto the second PCD 75 during the notification communication session. Themessage can be virtually anything, for example, “Can you meet me atPizza Hut in 20 minutes.”

In alternative embodiments, the notification system 10 can be equippedwith functionality to enable the party associated with the second PCD 17(notified party) to select or enter a time for a pickup or delivery atthe stop location. The time can then be communicated to the first PCD 17(tracked party).

2. Second Embodiment

Another embodiment, among others, can be practiced by the notificationsystem 10, particularly in the manager 41, and involves the followingmethodology, which is shown in FIG. 20B and denoted by reference numeral340 b: monitoring travel data of a first PCD 75, as denoted at block351; receiving a message from the first PCD 75, the message including arequest for a response, as denoted at block 352; initiating anotification communication having the message and a travel status reportof the first PCD 75 to a second PCD 75, as denoted at block 353;receiving the response from the second PCD 75; and communicating theresponse to the first PCD 75, as denoted at block 354.

The travel status report can indicate a proximity (in terms of time,distance from, etc.) of the first PCD 75 to a stop location, that thefirst PCD 75 has left a location, that the first PCD 75 has arrived at alocation, that the first PCD 75 is in a particular geographic region,etc.

The response from the second PCD 75 can indicate a number ofpossibilities, including but not limited to, whether or not a secondparty associated with the second PCD 75 is willing to meet a first partyassociated with the first PCD 75 at the stop location, whether or not asecond party associated with the second PCD 75 is willing to acceptresponsibility for a pickup or delivery at the stop location.

The stop location can be remote from the locations of the first andsecond PCD 75 s. The second PCD 75 could also be located at or in closeproximity to the stop location.

In alternative embodiments, first PCD 75 or the notification system 10can communicate another message during the notification communicationsession that indicates to the second party associated with the secondPCD 75 one or more criteria for a response to be effective. For example,the one or more criteria may include one or more of the following: atime limit to respond, a travel distance limit associated with travel ofthe first PCD 75, a limit based upon the first PCD 75 traveling to aparticular location or region, or a limit based upon one or moreacceptance responses from other PCD 75 s.

In alternative embodiments, the one or more criteria can be communicatedto the notification system 10 from a suitable communications device,such as but not limited to, the first PCD 75, and stored in userpreference data in user data table 68 b (FIG. 5A). Or, the criteria canbe system-defined via suitable programming.

3. Third Embodiment

Yet another embodiment, among others, can be practiced by thenotification system 10, particularly in the manager 41, and involves thefollowing methodology, which is shown in FIG. 20C and denoted byreference numeral 340 c: monitoring travel data associated with a firstPCD 75, as indicated at block 361; initiating a notificationcommunication session to a plurality of PCD 75 s, the notificationcommunication including a message requesting a response, as indicated atblock 362; receiving responses from one or more of the plurality of PCDs75, as indicated at block 363; and producing a list of stops for thefirst PCD 75, based upon the responses, the lack of responses, or acombination thereof, as indicated at block 364. Although not limited tothis application, the foregoing methodology is particularly useful inconnection with package delivery services.

The stop list can be produced at the notification system 10, such as inthe BSCU 40, at the first PCD 75 that is being tracked (see FIG. 26 andaccompanying discussion), or at a computer that is communicativelycoupled to either. If produced remote from the first PCD 75, then thelist can be communicated to the first PCD 75, stored therein, anddisplayed, if desired, to enable a party associated with the first PCD75 to take appropriate delivery/pickup action.

The stop list can be a list of predetermined stop locations or stopnumbers, can be street address, longitude/latitude designations, etc.

In alternative embodiments, functionality for accepting a reply from thefirst PCD 75 and communicating the reply to the one or more plurality ofPCDs 75 that have responded can be implemented in the BSCU 40 or in thefirst PCD 75 (which would push the reply back to the relevant notifiedPCD(s)). As an example, this would be a useful feature in a case where afirst PCD 75 associated with a delivery vehicle wishes to confirm oradvise a notified PCD 75 or party that the party has been officiallyplaced on a delivery list. Furthermore, a party can indicate in userpreferences in table 68 b of database 94 (FIG. 5A) that the party wouldlike to have a confirmation reply.

The travel status report can indicate any of a number of things, forexample but not limited to, a proximity (in terms of time, distance, ornumber of stops) of the first PCD 75 to a location or region, canindicate that the first PCD 75 has left a location, region, or scheduledstop location, etc.

The notification communication session can be initiated when the firstPCD 75 is within a predetermined proximity of a stop location, region,or a location of the one or more plurality of PCD 75 s, can be initiatedwhen the first PCD 75 has left a location, region, or stop location, canbe initiated when the plurality of PCDs are within a prescribed numberof stops or distance of the first PCD 75, etc.

In alternative embodiments, the BSCU 40, particularly the BS manager 41,can be configured to determine whether or not a response to anotification communication is necessary based upon the nature of thedelivery/pickup (e.g., a package requiring a signature would like to bedelivered, and therefore, a person needs to be at the stop location tosign for the package, a package does not require a signature andtherefore a party need not be present to deliver the package, businessor residential delivery, inside service or outside service, etc.). Whena stop does not require a response, it can be scheduled with the otherstops that do require a response. As an example, see FIG. 26.

The responses from the notified PDC(s) 75 can indicate (via suitabletext messaging, voice commands, depression of keys on a keypad to emittones, etc.) whether or not a party associated with a notified PCD 75 iswilling to accept responsibility for a pickup or delivery at a stoplocation or meet a first party associated with the first PCD 75 at thestop location. The stop location can be remote from the locations of thefirst and second PCD 75 s.

Another message can be communicated by the BSCU 40 to the notifiedPCD(s) 75 during the notification communication that indicates one ormore criteria for a response to be effective. The one or more criteriacould include, for example but not limited to, one or more of thefollowing: a time limit (FIG. 25A), a travel distance limit associatedwith travel of the first PCD 75 (FIG. 25B), a limit based upon the firstPCD 75 traveling to a particular location or region (FIG. 25C), or alimit based upon one or more acceptance responses from other PCD 75 s(FIG. 25D).

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 can be designed to receivethe one or more criteria from a communications device, for example, thefirst PCD 75. Such criteria can be stored in user preference data.

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 can be configured toenable a party associated with the first PCD 75 to select whether or nota response is requested of a notified party during a notificationcommunication session.

In the preferred embodiment, the software architecture associated withthe BS manager 41 implements failure states in connection with therequest for a response. A failure state occurs when a state of avariable has been reached without receiving a response back from thenotified party. Internally, a failure state causes the system toterminate notification communication attempts and to ensure that a stopassociated with the failed communication attempts is not scheduled onthe stop list. A failure state can also be shown on a screen orotherwise indicated to the operator of the first PCD 75, as is shown inFIGS. 25A through 25D. A failure state can be system-defined oruser-defined, and can be stored in table 68 b (FIG. 5A) and/or failurestate data table 681 (FIG. 5A).

As illustrated in FIGS. 25A through 25D, a set of nonlimiting examplesof failure state variables are as follows: (a) a time period variable(FIG. 25A) pertaining to the amount of time that has elapsed sinceinvocation of the notification; when the time period variable hasexpired, it triggers a failure state; (b) a distance variable pertainingto the distance traveled by the tracked first PCD 75 (FIG. 25B) sinceinvocation of the notification; when the first PCD 75 has traversed aprescribed distance that is monitored with the distance variable, then afailure state can be invoked; (c) a predetermined location variable(FIG. 25C) pertaining to a location to be traversed by themoving/tracked first PCD 75; in other words, once the PCD 75 has reachedthis predetermined location, then a failure state will result; and (d)an acceptance variable (FIG. 25D) which tracks the number of responsesand/or acceptances associated with notification communications; this isuseful in a configuration where a number of parties have been invited tovisit a particular location (e.g., a restaurant), and there are only alimited number of openings; as an example, the system can be set toaccept the first party to respond to the notification and invoke afailure state in connection with all other notifications (which can becommunicated, if desired, to the other PCDs 75 that responded late).

In alternative embodiments, the BS manager 41 can be designed tocommunicate an additional message to the plurality of one or more PCDs75. As an example, this could be a description of the MT 17 or of thedriver.

In alternative embodiments, a status of the responses can becommunicated by the BSCU 40 to the first PCD 75. As an example of apossible scheme for indicating status, the following text coding cold beemployed and could be displayed on a display associated with the firstPCD 75: “w” for waiting for a response, “c” for confirmed indicatingthat a response was received and delivery/pickup is to occur, and “u”for unconfirmed indicating that a response was received and adelivery/pickup is not to occur)

In alternative embodiments, the BSCU 40 can be designed to enable aparty associated with one or more of the plurality of PCD 75 s to selector enter a time for a pickup or delivery at a stop location, and thenthis information can be communicated to the first PCD 75.

4. Example Implementations of Tracked PCD to Notified PCD Communications

FIG. 21 is a graphical illustration of an example of a notificationsystem 10 having a base station control unit 40 monitoring travel ofPCDs 75 and capable of communicating notifications and responses amongthe various PCDs 75. A PCD 75 in the form of a person's networkedcomputer 75 d is shown receiving a notification communication from oneof the tracked PCDs 75 a-75 c, which asks for a response, i.e., in thisexample, the party associated with the tracked PCD 75 at issue isattempting to make a reservation at a restaurant having the networkedcomputer 75 d.

FIG. 22 is a graphical illustration of possible ways in whichcommunications can occur between a tracked PCD 75 and a notified PCD 75.As shown, one embodiment involves indirect communications using the BSCU40, while the other involves direct communications between the PCDs 75.In the latter case, the functionality that would have been associatedwith the BSCU 40 is incorporated in one of the devices 75 or thefunctionality is distributed across the devices 75.

FIG. 23 is a graphical illustration of a possible architecture forimplementing the direct communications configuration between a trackedPCD 75 in the form of an in-vehicle navigation system and one or moreother PCDs 75 d-75 h. The in-vehicle navigation system 75 has functionalblocks 425-428 and optional functional blocks 431-433, which can beimplemented as part of the MT manager 29 or as separate softwareroutines, as is shown in FIG. 23. The MT manager 29 (also see FIGS. 1and 2) is designed to cause the navigation system 75 k to provide a listof locations of interest, such as local restaurants in this example. Atpresent, such technology is known in the art. The user is permitted toselect a listed item, in this case, the XYZ Italian Restaurant has beenselected via the user interface buttons that are shown. As shown, thedisplay indicates that a response is being waited upon. Also, theexpected time of arrival (ETA) is shown on the screen in terms of bothtime (20 minutes) and distance (12 miles). Either or both of theforegoing ETAs can be communicated to the PCD 75 d, depending upon thedesired design.

A PCD 75 in the form of a person's networked computer 75 d at the XYZItalian Restaurant is shown receiving a the notification communicationfrom the in-vehicle navigation system 75 k, which asks for a response,i.e., in this example, the party associated with the tracked PCD 75 k atissue is attempting to make a reservation at a restaurant having thenetworked computer 75 d.

The text content of the message that is sent by PCD 75 k to PCD 75 d canbe entered by the user of the PCD 75 d using any suitable graphical userinterface (GUI) and screen prompts and any suitable hardware inputdevices, such as buttons 441-443. The content is communicated inpacketized manner with the other content associated with thenotification communication.

The text content could also be pre-stored in the memory associated withthe PCD 75 k and selected by the user using any suitable GUI and screenprompts and user interface buttons 441-443.

FIG. 24 is a continuation of the example in FIG. 23 and showsimplementation of response requests and failure states, both of whichhave been discussed previously.

As illustrated in FIG. 24, the PCD 75 d at the XYZ Italian Restaurant isused to send a response message back to the in-vehicle navigation system75 k. In this case, the person operating the PCD 75 d creates a messageindicating receipt of the notification and confirming the reservation ata particular time, i.e., 6:40 pm., and communicates this message back tothe PCD 75 k, so that the party associated with the PCD 75 k knows thatthe reservation is properly scheduled.

Another part of the software architecture associated with the PCD 75 kis shown at blocks 451-457. Although not limited to this configuration,this functionality in this example is implemented in the MT manager 29(FIGS. 1 and 2). As is clear, the user of the PCD 75 k can indicate thata response should be requested (in user preferences stored in PCD 75 kor otherwise during interaction with PCD 75 k). The PCD 75 k can also beconfigured to determine that a response is necessary based upon the typeof notification communication (e.g., a package requiring a signaturewould like to be delivered, and therefore, a person needs to be at thestop location to sign for the package).

The software architecture further implements failure states inconnection with the request for a response. A failure state occurs whena state of a variable has been reached without receiving a response backfrom the notified party. Internally, a failure state causes the systemto terminate notification communication attempts. A failure state canalso be shown on a screen or otherwise indicated to the operator of thePCD 75 k, as is shown in FIGS. 25A through 25D. A failure state can besystem-defined or user-defined, and can be stored in table 68 b (FIG.5A) and/or failure state data table 681 (FIG. 5A).

As illustrated in FIGS. 25A through 25D, a set of nonlimiting examplesof failure state variables are as follows: (a) a time period variable(FIG. 25A) pertaining to the amount of time that has elapsed sinceinvocation of the notification; when the time period variable hasexpired, it triggers a failure state in the PCD 75 k; (b) a distancevariable pertaining to the distance traveled by the tracked PCD 75 k(FIG. 25B) since invocation of the notification; when the PCD 75 k hastraversed a prescribed distance that is monitored with the distancevariable, then a failure state can be invoked in the moving/tracked PCD75 k; (c) a predetermined location variable (FIG. 25C) pertaining to alocation to be traversed by the moving/tracked PCD 75 k; in other words,once the PCD 75 k determines that it has reached this predeterminedlocation, then a failure state will result; and (d) an acceptancevariable (FIG. 25D) which tracks the number of responses and/oracceptances associated with notification communications; this is usefulin a configuration where a number of parties have been invited to visita particular location (e.g., a restaurant), and there are only a limitednumber of openings; as an example, the system can be set to accept thefirst party to respond to the notification and invoke a failure state inconnection with all other notifications (which can be communicated, ifdesired, to the other PCDs 75 that responded late).

FIG. 26 illustrates an embodiment that can be implemented, if desired,in connection with a vehicle having a route-or-stop-list device 75 c(FIG. 21) that determines whether a response to a notification isneeded, based upon user preferences, system preferences, and/or thenature/type (e.g., business or residential, inside service or outsideservice, etc.) of the stop.

In this nonlimiting example, a determination is made as to whether thestop is associated with (a) inside service (IS; for example, a signaturemust be obtained to drop off a package, a person must inspect an itembefore dropoff, a person must personally provide an item for pickup, auser has requested that a response from the user must be received beforethe user is scheduled for a delivery/pickup, etc.) or (b) outsideservice (OS; for example, an item can be dropped off without signature,an item is waiting outside a building to be picked up and nobody needsto be present to give the item to the pickup vehicle, etc.).

The functionality associated with this embodiment, as defined at blocks471-478, can be implemented in the BSCU 40 and/or the tracked PCD 75 c.In this embodiment, it is implemented solely in the PCD 75 c, and theroute or stop list that is generated and periodically changed by the PCD75 c is periodically communicated to the BSCU 40. Furthermore, in termsof external controls and user interfacing, the PCD 75 c has, as shown inFIG. 26, a screen for listing stops and the type of stop, a notifybutton to initiate a notification communication, a retry button to retrya notification communication, a move button to move a cursor on thescreen and/or to move through the stop list, a menu button to movethrough various menus and submenus, and a cursor movement control witharrows in the center, which can be also be used to scroll through thelisting of stops.

In terms of internal programming, as shown in blocks 471-474, there is alooping process for creating, determining, and/or changing the route orstop list, and as illustrated in blocks 475-478, there is loopingprocess for determining whether a response is needed for the stop, basedupon whether the stop is associated with IS or OS, and for determiningwhether a response has in fact been received from those stops thatrequire a response. In this example, the two foregoing processes executeconcurrently.

In this example, the PCD 75 c can be designed to retrieve all stopswithin a particular distance of the PCD 75 c (e.g., a 3 mile radius),the location of which is known, as indicated at blocks 471-472. Then, alist is created and iteratively updated, at blocks 473 and 474. Once astop is tentatively added to the route or listing of stops, via blocks471-474, then the looping process associated with blocks 475-478analyzes the stop type to determine if the stop requires a response andif the required response has been received. In this example, if a stopis OS or if a stop is IS (requires a response) and the response wasreceived, then blocks 473-474 cause the stop to be officially added tothe stop list. Otherwise, when the stop is IS and no response wasreceived, then the stop is removed per block 474. Furthermore, system oruser preferences can be set so that a stop is classified as IS or OS.

FIG. 27 is an illustration showing an embodiment involving a deliveryvehicle with tracked PCD 75 c that has a predetermined route 505, orstop list, with a number of prescheduled delivery stops, for example,destinations #01 through #03. In this embodiment, the BS manager 41 orPCD 75 c has functionality 500 that is designed to cause a notificationcommunication to be initiated to a PCD 75 d at a point when the trackedPCD 75 c is a predefined proximity, for example, at or about 30 minutes,from a delivery destination. Also, the BS manager 41 is designed so thata failure state will occur if a response is not received from the PCD 75d within predefined time period, for example, 20 minutes, of thenotification. Furthermore, the driver associated with the tracked PCD 75d is notified of the occurrence of the failure state or confirmation,for example, via suitable text (e.g., “Confirmed” or “No Response” inthe event of a failure state) on a screen associated with the PCD 75 d,so that the driver associated with the PCD 75 c knows whether or not tomake the stop at destination #03.

FIG. 28 is an illustration showing an embodiment involving a deliveryvehicle with tracked PCD 75 c that has a predetermined route 506, orstop list, with a number of prescheduled delivery stops, for example,destinations #04 through #06. In this embodiment, the BS manager 41 orPCD 75 c has functionality that is designed to cause a notificationcommunication to be initiated to a PCD 75 at a point when the trackedPCD 75 c is a predefined proximity in terms of distance from a deliverydestination. Also, the BS manager 41 is designed so that a failure statewill occur if a response is not received from the notified PCD 75 basedupon one or more failure state criteria. Furthermore, the driverassociated with the tracked PCD 75 d is notified of the occurrence ofthe failure state or confirmation, for example, via suitable text (e.g.,“Confirmed” or “No Response” in the event of a failure state) on ascreen associated with the PCD 75 d, which in this case, is in the formof an in-vehicle navigation system, so that the driver associated withthe PCD 75 c knows whether or not to make particular stops.

As shown on the screen, two deliveries have been confirmed, and thesystem still awaits a response involving the delivery for destination#04. The PCD 75 c can be equipped with suitable programming to enablethe driver to scroll through and select (e.g., via arrows on menu buttonand select buttons, as shown) or otherwise enter the deliveries that thedriver intends to make, based upon the confirmation/no-responseinformation pertaining to each destination as well as the distanceinformation provided to the driver on the screen. This selection orentry, or information indicative thereof, can be communicated from thePCD 75 c to the appropriate confirmed PCD, directly or indirectly viathe BSCU 40, depending upon the notification system implementation. Insome implementations, the selection or entry information is communicatedonly to the BSCU 40 for tracking purposes and is not forwarded to theconfirmed PCD.

FIG. 29 is an illustration of another embodiment involving a deliveryvehicle having a PCD 75 c, which shows functionality at blocks 511-515that can be programmed into the PCD 75 c for updating a stop list basedupon whether or not responses were received. The software can bedesigned to show confirmed and unconfirmed (no response) stops or toshow only confirmed stops, as desired, on the screen of the PCD 75 c.

FIG. 30 is an illustration of an embodiment that can be implemented atthe BSCU 40, such as the BS manager 41 (FIGS. 1 and 3) or at the MTCU15, such as the MT manager 29 (FIGS. 1 and 3), showing implementation offailure states in connection with responses and nonresponses tonotification communications in the context of a delivery vehicle. Asshown at respective blocks 542 and 543 and as described previously,failure states can be user defined and/or system defined. Furthermore,failure states can be defined in a number of ways, a few examples ofwhich are indicated at blocks 544-548.

FIG. 31 is an illustration of another embodiment that can be implementedat the BSCU 40, such as the BS manager 41 (FIGS. 1 and 3) or at the MTCU15, such as the MT manager 29 (FIGS. 1 and 3), showing implementation offailure states in connection with responses and nonresponses tonotification communications in the context of a delivery vehicle. Blocks561-568 represent the high level architecture of the software. Asillustrated, the stop list can be determined and changed dynamically,based upon responses and nonresponses. Also, a request for a pickup canbe introduced into the stop list of scheduled deliveries at any point.

FIG. 32 is an illustration of an embodiment of route data 471 andcorresponding driver display data that can be maintained and implementedin connection with a delivery or pickup service. The route data 471 canbe maintained at the BSCU 40, at the MTCU 15, or at both. The driverdisplay data 472 is displayed to the driver of the delivery/pickupvehicle 17.

As indicated at reference numeral 477 in the driver display data 472,the status of response and nonresponses to notifications is monitoredand shown to the driver. In this example embodiment, the status is “C”for confirmed for the situation where a response has been received andthe notified party is willing to commit to the pickup/delivery, is “U”for unconfirmed for the situation where a response has been received andthe notified party does not want to commit to the pickup/delivery or itis unclear whether the notified party wishes to commit, and is “W” forwaiting for the situation where a response that has not been received atall from the notified party.

Preferably, although not necessarily, the BSCU 40, particularly the BSmanager 41, is equipped with a suitable graphical user interface (GUI),denoted by reference numeral 46 in FIG. 3, to enable a party tocommunicate with the BSCU 40 via the Internet. FIG. 33 shows an exampleof a possible user interface screen that can be generated by the GUI 46and pushed to the remote communications device via, for example, HTMLover the Internet. Other examples of user interface screens to bedescribed in paragraphs to follow can also be generated and communicatedto a party in this manner.

As shown in FIG. 33, the screen prompts the party to make a decision asto whether or not the party wishes a response to a notificationcommunication. This screen can be used in connection with the responsesystems and methods that have been described previously in thisdocument. This selection can be stored in the database 94 (FIG. 5A),such as in users preferences in user data table(s) 68 b.

FIG. 34 shows another example of a possible user interface screen thatcan be generated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with theresponse systems (and methods). This screen can be used separately or inaddition to the one of FIG. 33.

As shown, this screen can be used to solicit selections from a partythat will be used by the BS manager 41 in connection with nonresponses(failure states). These selections can be stored in the database 94(FIG. 5A), such as in users preferences in user data table(s) 68 b.Reference numerals 605-607 illustrate questions relating to when failurestates should occur after a notification and response request have beencommunicated to a notified party, while reference numeral 608illustrates a selection for enabling the party to define what will occurwhen no response is received by the BSCU 40. An example of a screen forenabling a party to select such options is shown in FIG. 39.

Referring now to FIG. 35, FIG. 35 shows another example of a possibleuser interface screen that can be generated by the GUI of FIG. 3 andused in connection with the response systems (and methods). This screencan be used separately or in addition to those screens of FIGS. 33 and34.

As shown, this screen can be used to solicit selections from a partythat will be used by the BS manager 41 in connection with nonresponses(and occurrence of failure states). These selections can be stored inthe database 94 (FIG. 5A), such as in users preferences in user datatable(s) 68 b. Reference numeral 608 illustrates a question relating towhen a failure state should occur after a notification and responserequest have been communicated to a notified party, while referencenumeral 609 illustrates a selection for enabling the party to definewhat will occur when no response is received by the BSCU 40. An exampleof a screen for enabling a party to select such options is shown in FIG.39.

Note that, in this example, the party can set the system so that afailure state will occur in the event that a notified party does notrespond before the vehicle 17 travels to within a preset number of stopsfrom a scheduled stop location, or destination.

With reference to FIG. 36, FIG. 36 shows another example of a possibleuser interface screen that can be generated by the GUI of FIG. 3 andused in connection with the response systems (and methods). This screencan be used separately or in addition to those of FIGS. 33-35.

As shown, this screen can be used to solicit selections from a partythat will be used by the BS manager 41 in connection with failurestates. These selections can be stored in the database 94 (FIG. 5A),such as in users preferences in user data table(s) 68 b. Referencenumerals 621 and 622 illustrate questions relating to when failurestates should occur after a notification and response request have beencommunicated to a notified party.

FIG. 37 shows another example of a possible user interface screen thatcan be generated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with theresponse systems (and methods). This screen can be used separately or inaddition to those of FIGS. 33-36.

As shown, this screen can be used to solicit selections from a partythat will be used by the BS manager 41 in connection with failurestates. These selections can be stored in the database 94 (FIG. 5A),such as in users preferences in user data table(s) 68 b. Referencenumeral 631 illustrates a marker that can be moved across a map ofstreets, for example, via a mouse, and used to select one or morelocations on the map pertaining to when a failure state should occur fornonresponsiveness on the part of the notified party. The markedlocation(s) pertains to the moving vehicle 17 that is headed for thestop location, or destination, which, in this example, is 1010 Oak Lane.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,668, which is incorporated herein by reference,describes a mapping system for a notification system that can be used toimplement the input-via-map functionality illustrated in FIG. 37 (aswell as FIG. 38).

FIG. 38 shows another example of a possible user interface screen thatcan be generated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with theresponse systems (and methods). This screen can be used separately or inaddition to those of FIGS. 33-37.

As shown, this screen can be used to solicit selections from a partythat will be used by the BS manager 41 in connection with failurestates. These selections can be stored in the database 94 (FIG. 5A),such as in users preferences in user data table(s) 68 b. Referencenumeral 632 illustrates a circle perimeter that can be moved, expandedin size, and/or reduced in size in relation to the map of streets, forexample, via a mouse, and used to select a geographic region on the mappertaining to when a failure state should occur for nonresponsiveness onthe part of the notified party. The marked area(s) pertains to themoving vehicle 17 that is headed for the stop location, or destination,which, in this example, is 1010 Oak Lane.

FIG. 39 shows another example of a possible user interface screen thatcan be generated by the GUI of FIG. 3 and used in connection with theresponse systems (and methods). This screen can be used separately or inaddition to those of FIGS. 33-38.

As shown, this screen can be used to solicit selections from a partythat will be used by the BS manager 41 in connection with failurestates. This screen enables a party to define what will occur in theevent of occurrence of a failure state in connection withnonresponsiveness by a notified party. These selections can be stored inthe database 94 (FIG. 5A), such as in users preferences in user datatable(s) 68 b. Reference numerals 644-648 illustrate possible optionsthat can be selected by the party.

FIG. 40 shows an example of another type of computer network message. Asshown in FIG. 40, an electronic mail (email) message can be generatedand sent by the BSCU 40 (FIG. 3) over the Internet and used inconnection with the response systems (and methods).

As illustrated, a party can be sent an email by the BSCU 40 during anotification communication to indicate impending arrival of a deliveryvehicle at a stop location, such as the party's street address. In thisexample, the notification communication, in the form of an email sentover the Internet to the party by the BSCU 40 asks the party to identifywhen the party is available for the delivery. The information input bythe party can be utilized to fine tune the scheduling of the deliveryvehicle 17.

There are many possible variations of this concept. For example, theemail could provide a plurality of options, one of which can be selectedby the party. Furthermore, there could be different charges associatedwith different delivery time options (e.g., more expensive options forfaster service, etc.).

Further note that this information from the notified party can becommunicated to a PCD 75 c associated with the delivery vehicle 17 andcorrelated with other scheduling information at the PCD 75 c.

W. Notification Failure Detection Systems (and Methods) that CauseImplementation of One or More Tasks When a Scheduled NotificationCommunication Is Not Received

A notification failure detection system can be implemented in connectionwith a PCD 75 (FIG. 1) that is scheduled to be notified that will causeone or more tasks to be performed in the event that such PCD 75 does notin fact receive a scheduled notification communication.

As an example of an application of the notification failure detectionsystem, among numerous possible scenarios, consider an implementationwhere a service provider (e.g., maid, pool maintenance worker, lawn careworker, etc.) is scheduled to provide service at a residential home, andthe service provider is to initiate a notification communication to aPCD 75 at the house. A notification failure detection system situated inor communicatively coupled to the PCD 75 can be designed to monitor forthe incoming notification communication. If one does not occur asscheduled, then the notification failure detection system can bedesigned to perform one or more tasks, for instance, communicating withanother service provider to request service from the another instead,communicating with the home owner to advise the home owner of thefailure state, communicating with the service provider office,communicating with a security company that can check on the serviceprovider, or communicating with another party or system, etc.

As another example of an application, among numerous possible scenarios,consider an implementation where a home owner, after completing workeach day, is scheduled to provide a notification communication to a PCD75 at his/her home within a prescribed time period, indicating impendingarrival. When the notification communication is received during theprescribed time period, then the notification failure detection systemcan be designed to do nothing or perform one or more steps, such asadjust the air conditioning or heater down or up. However, when thenotification communication is not received during the prescribed timeperiod, then the notification failure detection system can be designedto perform one or more tasks, such as turn on light switches (because itwill be dark when the home owner approaches since the home owner will belate). When the notification communication is received during theprescribed time period, then the notification failure detection systemcan be designed to do nothing or perform one or more steps. Moreover,when the notification communication is not received during theprescribed time period, then the notification failure detection systemcan be designed to perform one or more tasks, such as communicate withanother fire or police station.

As yet another example of an application, among numerous possiblescenarios, consider an implementation where the notification failuredetection system is designed to monitor a fire or security alarm systemassociated with a facility and to determine whether a notificationcommunication is received from a fire or police station within aprescribed time period after the alarm is triggered. When the alarm getstriggered and no notification communication is received indicating thatthe fire or police department is on their way, then the notificationfailure detection system can be designed to contact another party, suchas the owner, another fire department, another police department, etc.

As still another example of an application, among numerous possiblescenarios, the notification failure detection system can be implementedin connection with cargo ships, tankers, or other ships. An incomingvessel to a harbor can be scheduled to send a notification communication(which can include the ship identity and/or other particulars pertainingto the ship and/or its cargo) to the harbor master (which typicallydetermines when the vessel will dock and sends out tug boats) when theincoming vessel is near and ready to dock. The notification failuredetection system can be designed to contact the coast guard or othersecurity group if a ship is approaching and no notificationcommunication is received after the ship has come within a predefinedproximity of the harbor or dock location. In an alternative embodiment,the notification failure detection system can be designed to contactproviders of services (unloaders, customs personnel, crane operators,truck drivers, etc.) that were intending to meet the ship at the dock ata prescribed time or time period, so that the service providers cancancel their trips to the dock and/or take other remedial actions.

The notification failure detection system can be implemented in software(e.g., firmware), hardware, or a combination thereof. In the currentlycontemplated best mode, the notification failure detection system isimplemented with a computer-based system that is a combination ofhardware and software. An example of a general purpose computer that canimplement the notification failure detection system is shown in FIG. 41.In FIG. 41, the notification failure detection system is denoted byreference numeral 701.

Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, as shown in FIG. 41, thecomputer-based system 701 includes a processor 712, memory 714, and oneor more input and/or output (I/O) devices 716 (or peripherals) that arecommunicatively coupled via a local interface 718. The local interface718 can be, for example but not limited to, one or more buses or otherwired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. The localinterface 18 may have additional elements, which are omitted forsimplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters,and receivers, to enable communications. Further, the local interfacemay include address, control, and/or data connections to enableappropriate communications among the aforementioned components.

The processor 712 is a hardware device for executing software,particularly that stored in memory 714. The processor 712 can be anycustom made or commercially available processor, a central processingunit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associatedwith the system 701, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the formof a microchip or chip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any devicefor executing software instructions. Examples of suitable commerciallyavailable microprocessors are as follows: a PA-RISC seriesmicroprocessor from Hewlett-Packard Company, an 80×86 or Pentium seriesmicroprocessor from Intel Corporation, a PowerPC microprocessor fromIBM, a Sparc microprocessor from Sun Microsystems, Inc, or a 68xxxseries microprocessor from the Motorola Corporation.

The memory 714 can include any one or combination of volatile memoryelements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM,etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape,CDROM, etc.). Moreover, the memory 714 may incorporate electronic,magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Note that thememory 714 can have a distributed architecture, where various componentsare situated remote from one another, but can be accessed by theprocessor 712.

The software in memory 714 may include one or more separate programs,each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructionsfor implementing logical functions. In the example of FIG. 41, thesoftware in the memory 714 includes notification failure detectionsoftware 710 and a suitable operating system (O/S) 722. A nonexhaustivelist of examples of suitable commercially available operating systems722 is as follows: (a) a Windows operating system available fromMicrosoft Corporation; (b) a Netware operating system available fromNovell, Inc.; (c) a Macintosh operating system available from AppleComputer, Inc.; (e) a UNIX operating system, which is available forpurchase from many vendors, such as the Hewlett-Packard Company, SunMicrosystems, Inc., and AT&T Corporation; (d) a LINUX operating system,which is freeware that is readily available on the Internet; (e) a runtime Vxworks operating system from WindRiver Systems, Inc.; or (f) anappliance-based operating system, such as that implemented in handheldcomputers or personal data assistants (PDAs) (e.g., PalmOS availablefrom Palm Computing, Inc., and Windows CE available from MicrosoftCorporation). The operating system 722 essentially controls theexecution of other computer programs, such as the notification failuredetection software 710, and provides scheduling, input-output control,file and data management, memory management, and communication controland related services.

The notification failure detection software 710 is a source program,executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprisinga set of instructions to be performed. When a source program, then theprogram needs to be translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter,or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory 714, soas to operate properly in connection with the O/S 722. Furthermore, thenotification failure detection software 710 can be written as (a) anobject oriented programming language, which has classes of data andmethods, or (b) a procedure programming language, which has routines,subroutines, and/or functions, for example but not limited to, C, C++,Pascal, Basic, Fortran, Cobol, Perl, Java, and Ada.

The optional I/O devices 716 may include input devices, for example butnot limited to, a keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, etc.Furthermore, the I/O devices 716 may also include output devices, forexample but not limited to, a printer, display, etc. Finally, the I/Odevices 716 may further include devices that communicate both inputs andoutputs, for instance but not limited to, a modulator/demodulator(modem; for accessing another device, system, or network), a radiofrequency (RF) or other transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, arouter, etc.

If the computer-based notification failure detection system 711 is a PC,workstation, or the like, the software in the memory 714 may furtherinclude a basic input output system (BIOS) (omitted for simplicity). TheBIOS is a set of essential software routines that initialize and testhardware at startup, start the O/S 722, and support the transfer of dataamong the hardware devices. The BIOS is stored in ROM so that the BIOScan be executed when the system 701 is activated.

When the system 701 is in operation, the processor 712 is configured toexecute software stored within the memory 714, to communicate data toand from the memory 714, and to generally control operations of thecomputer 711 pursuant to the software. The notification failuredetection software 710 and the O/S 722, in whole or in part, buttypically the latter, are read by the processor 712, perhaps bufferedwithin the processor 712, and then executed.

The notification failure detection software 710 (as well as any othersoftware that is described in this document), as is shown in FIG. 41,can be stored on any computer readable medium for transportation or useby or in connection with computer related systems. In the context ofthis document, a computer readable medium is an electronic, magnetic,optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store acomputer program for use by or in connection with a computer relatedsystem or method. In the context of this document, a “computer-readablemedium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate, ortransport the program for use by or in connection with the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium canbe, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device,or propagation medium.

In an alternative embodiment, where the notification failure detectionsystem 701 implemented in hardware, the notification failure detectionsystem can be implemented with any or a combination of the followingtechnologies, which are each well known in the art: a discrete logiccircuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon datasignals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) havingappropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s)(PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

An example of a possible architecture, among others, of the notificationfailure detection software 710, is shown in FIG. 42. As illustrated byway of flow chart in FIG. 42, the notification failure detectionsoftware 710 is designed to perform the following steps: storinginformation in memory 714 pertaining to timing (e.g., a time of day,time period, etc.) associated with the scheduled notificationcommunication, as indicated at block 731; determining that the schedulednotification communication failure has occurred, based upon the timinginformation, as indicated at block 732; and causing one or more tasks tobe performed using I/O device(s) 716 and/or using PCD 75 based upon thescheduled notification communication failure, as indicated at block 733.The tasks can include, for example but not limited to, initiation ofvoice and/or data communications to other parties or systems, actuationor adjustment of switches or transducers, etc.

Note that failure in the context of the notification failure detectionsystem 701 can be defined as failing to receive a notificationcommunication at a scheduled time or time period, failing to receive anotification communication when the system 701 knows or is advised thatthe system 701 should have based upon the MT 17 reaching a location orregion or distance from the stop location, or as failing to receiveproper authentication indicia (which can be stored, accessed, andanalyzed in memory 714) during the notification communication session.The authentication indicia, or information, can be any of a number ofthings, for example, a caller's telephone number, which can be comparedwith an incoming telephone caller ID to determine if there is a match.For other examples, see the section in this document relating to securenotification messaging systems and methods.

X. Further Variations and Modifications

In concluding the detailed description, it should be noted that theterminology “preferred embodiment” herein means the one exampleembodiment currently believed by the inventor(s) to be the bestembodiment of a plurality of possible embodiments. Moreover, it will beobvious to those skilled in the art that many variations andmodifications may be made to the preferred embodiment(s) withoutsubstantially departing from the principles of the present invention.All such variations and modifications are intended to be included hereinwithin the teachings of the present invention in this document and to beprotected by the scope of the following claims. A few examples ofpossible variations and/or modifications are set forth hereafter.

With respect to variations, note that although not specificallydescribed for simplicity, any combination of the various systems/methodsthat have been described under headings above may be employed inconnection with a notification system. For example, use ofauthentication data for secure notification messaging can be employed inconnection with one of the versions of the response system.

As another example of a variation, it is possible to implement thesystems and methods of this patent application in connection withnotification systems where notifications are made from the moving thingitself (those systems that do not utilize a BSCU 40 to implement thenotifications). Essentially, the functions associated with the BSCU 40are implemented in the tracked MT 17. One such system is described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,444,444, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

As another example of a variation, MTCU 15 and/or the BSCU 40 can beimplemented within a single computer system, across a plurality ofcomputers that are communicatively coupled, or within a computer systemhaving a distributed architecture.

As another example of a variation, the notification system can be onethat notifies a party or PCD 75 after an MT 17 leaves or while an MT 17is located at a location, as opposed to a notification system thatnotifies a party or PCD 75 in advance of arrival of the MT 17 at thelocation, as with the notification system 10 described herein.

As another example of a variation, the BS manager 41 can be designed tocause the notification system 10 to notify the user based upon a arrivaltime and/or departure time data in a schedule or route of one or morestops associated with the MT 17, as opposed to basing the notificationson real time monitoring of the location of the MT 17.

As another example of a variation, the BS manager 41 can be designed tocause the notification system 10 to notify the user when the MT'sschedule has been changed or the MT's stop at a location has beencancelled, as opposed to waiting on tracking information to determinedelay in arrival or departure of the MT 17. This information could beinput manually by a person or it could come from another computersystem. The software associated with the BS manager 41 could also beconfigured to enable a user to configure the system so that the user isnotified upon a change and/or cancellation.

As another example of a variation, the notification system (as well asthe inventions claimed herein) can be employed in connection with anamusement park ride, for instance, a roller coaster, water vehicle, etc.PCDs 75 can be handed out to prospective passengers of the ride, andwhen appropriate, one or more of the devices 75 can be notified to alertone or more prospective passengers their departure time (or arrival timeof their pickup mobile vehicle) is near. Any suitable form of trackingcan be utilized. For example, a passenger wait list or queue can bemaintained and tracked (which leads to an indirect way of monitoring themobile vehicles).

As another example of a variation, the notification system (as well asthe inventions claimed herein) can be employed in connection withelectronic tags on assets (e.g., packages, luggage, containers, etc.)that are being warehoused or shipped to notify a party concerning thetravel status of such assets. Typically, an electronic tag has acontroller, a transceiver controlled by the controller, and a memorythat is controlled by the controller and that stores an identificationthat can be communicated by the transceiver. U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,301,which is incorporated by reference, describes an example of a tag andU.S. Pat. No. 5,774,876, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety, describes a system for monitoring assets with electronictags. The BS manager 41 can be designed to communicate with theoperations center 13 and/or the computer 14, both described in the '876patent, to track the assets and make notifications pertaining to theassets. However, note that any design of electronic tag can be utilized.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,408,108 and 6,211,781, which are both also incorporatedby reference, disclose systems that utilize tags to track articles. Anotification system (and the systems/methods claimed herein) can beimplemented in the context of these tag systems. As an example,notification communications can be initiated from computer 118 in thesepatents.

1. A method for a computer-based notification system, comprising:monitoring travel data associated with a mobile thing; communicating anotification communication involving a delivery or pickup taskassociated with the mobile thing to a personal communications deviceassociated with a party; providing authentication information with thenotification communication, the authentication information comprising atleast a link to the Internet; and enabling the party to select the linkto communicate over the Internet to verify the authenticity of thenotification communication and/or of the authentication information. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the partyto contact the system and define the authentication information prior tothe communicating step.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofcommunicating the notification is performed when the mobile thing is apredetermined proximity with respect to a stop location.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the steps are performed with a single computersystem, a plurality of computers that are communicatively coupled, or acomputer system having a distributed architecture.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising the steps of providing another link to theInternet and enabling the party to select the link to view an image orvideo captured on or of the mobile thing.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the authentication information further comprises at least one ofthe following: a symbol, a text or numeric code, a sound, music, adistinctive ring, or an image of a signature.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the authentication information is defined by the computer-basednotification system and is made known to the party prior to thecommunicating step.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising thesteps of: receiving an image from the personal communications device;comparing the image with a stored image; and communicating a messageback to the personal communications device, indicating a match or amismatch.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:receiving a code from the personal communications device; comparing thecode with a stored code; and communicating a message back to thepersonal communications device, indicating a match or a mismatch. 10.The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating animage or a video of the mobile thing, a person or thing in the mobilething, or something outside of the mobile thing to the personalcommunications device.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising thestep of providing a link to the Internet that enables the party toprovide a response indicating at least one of the following: that theparty wishes to cancel the delivery or pickup task or that the partywishes to reschedule the delivery or pickup task.
 12. A method for acomputer-based notification system, comprising: monitoring travel dataassociated with a mobile thing; communicating a notificationcommunication involving a delivery or pickup task associated with themobile thing to a personal communications device associated with aparty; providing authentication information with the notificationcommunication, the authentication information comprising at least a linkto the Internet; and enabling the party to select the link tocommunicate over the Internet to view an image or video captured on orof the mobile thing for verification and/or security purposes.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising the step of enabling the party toselect another link to verify whether or not the notificationcommunication is from an authorized source.
 14. The method of claim 12,further comprising the step of enabling the party to contact the systemand define the authentication information prior to the communicatingstep.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of communicating thenotification is performed when the mobile thing is a predeterminedproximity with respect to a stop location.
 16. The method of claim 12,wherein the steps are performed with a single computer system, aplurality of computers that are communicatively coupled, or a computersystem having a distributed architecture.
 17. The method of claim 12,wherein the authentication information further comprises at least one ofthe following: a symbol, a text or numeric code, a sound, music, adistinctive ring, or an image of a signature.
 18. The method of claim12, wherein the authentication information is defined by thecomputer-based notification system and is made known to the party priorto the communicating step.
 19. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising the steps of: receiving an image from the personalcommunications device; comparing the image with a stored image; andcommunicating a message back to the personal communications device,indicating a match or a mismatch.
 20. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising the steps of: receiving a code from the personalcommunications device; comparing the code with a stored code; andcommunicating a message back to the personal communications device,indicating a match or a mismatch.
 21. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising the step of communicating an image or a video of the mobilething, a person or thing in the mobile thing, or something outside ofthe mobile thing from the server to the personal communications device.22. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of providing alink to enable the party to provide a response indicating at least oneof the following: that the party wishes to cancel the delivery or pickuptask or that the party wishes to reschedule the delivery or pickup task.23. A computer-based notification system, comprising: means formonitoring travel data associated with a mobile thing; means forcommunicating a notification communication involving a delivery orpickup task associated with the mobile thing to a personalcommunications device associated with a party; means for providingauthentication information with the notification communication, theauthentication information comprising at least a link to the Internet;and means for enabling the party to select the link to communicate overthe Internet to verify the authenticity of the notificationcommunication and/or of the authentication information.
 24. The systemof claim 23, further comprising means for enabling the party to contactthe system and defining the authentication information prior to thecommunicating step.
 25. The system of claim 23, wherein the means forcommunicating the notification is performed when the mobile thing is apredetermined proximity with respect to a stop location.
 26. The systemof claim 23, wherein the monitoring means, the communicating means, andthe enabling means are performed with a single computer system, aplurality of computers that are communicatively coupled, or a computersystem having a distributed architecture.
 27. The system of claim 23,further comprising means for providing another link that enables theparty to view an image or video captured on or of the mobile thing. 28.The system of claim 23, wherein the authentication information furthercomprises at least one of the following: a symbol, a text or numericcode, a sound, music, a distinctive ring, or an image of a signature.29. The system of claim 23, wherein the authentication information isdefined by the computer-based notification system and is made known tothe party.
 30. The system of claim 23, further comprising: means forreceiving an image from the personal communications device; means forcomparing the image with a stored image; and means for communicating amessage back to the personal communications device, indicating a matchor a mismatch.
 31. The system of claim 23, further comprising: means forreceiving a code from the personal communications device; means forcomparing the code with a stored code; and means for communicating amessage back to the personal communications device, indicating a matchor a mismatch.
 32. The system of claim 23, further comprising means forcommunicating an image or a video of the mobile thing, a person or thingin the mobile thing, or something outside of the mobile thing to thepersonal communications device.
 33. The system of claim 23, furthercomprising means for providing a link to enable the party to provide aresponse indicating at least one of the following: that the party wishesto cancel the delivery or pickup task or that the party wishes toreschedule the delivery or pickup task.
 34. A computer-basednotification system, comprising: means for monitoring travel dataassociated with a mobile thing; means for communicating a notificationcommunication involving a delivery or pickup task associated with themobile thing to a personal communications device associated with aparty; means for providing authentication information with thenotification communication, the authentication information comprising atleast a link to the Internet; and means for enabling the party to selectthe link to communicate over the Internet to view an image or videocaptured on or of the mobile thing for verification and/or securitypurposes.
 35. The system of claim 34, further comprising means forenabling the party to select another link to verify whether or not thenotification communication is from an authorized source.
 36. The systemof claim 34, further comprising means for enabling the party to contactthe system and define the authentication information.
 37. The system ofclaim 34, wherein the means for communicating the notification isperformed when the mobile thing is a predetermined proximity withrespect to a stop location.
 38. The system of claim 34, wherein themonitoring means, the communicating means, and the enabling means areimplemented with a single computer system, a plurality of computers thatare communicatively coupled, or a computer system having a distributedarchitecture.
 39. The system of claim 34, wherein the authenticationinformation further comprises at least one of the following: a symbol, atext or numeric code, a sound, music, a distinctive ring, or an image ofa signature.
 40. The system of claim 34, wherein the authenticationinformation is defined by the computer-based notification system and ismade known to the party.
 41. The system of claim 34, further comprising:means for receiving an image from the personal communications device;means for comparing the image with a stored image; and means forcommunicating a message back to the personal communications device,indicating a match or a mismatch.
 42. The system of claim 34, furthercomprising: means for receiving a code from the personal communicationsdevice; means for comparing the code with a stored code; and means forcommunicating a message back to the personal communications device,indicating a match or a mismatch.
 43. The system of claim 34, furthercomprising means for communicating an image or a video of the mobilething, a person or thing in the mobile thing, or something outside ofthe mobile thing from the server to the personal communications device.44. The system of claim 34, further comprising means for providing alink to enable the party to provide a response indicating at least oneof the following: that the party wishes to cancel the delivery or pickuptask or that the party wishes to reschedule the delivery or pickup task.